by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, in Petaling Jaya on Saturday, 13th February 1993:
DAP calls for an all-party Parliamentary delegation to investigate allegations by the Acheh/Sumatra National Liberation Front of violence and physical assaults against Achehnese ‘political refugees’ in Malaysian prisons
The President of the Acheh/Sumatra National Liberation Front, Tengku Hasan fi Tiro, has made very serious allegations in Sweden earlier this week of violence and physical assaults against Achehness ‘political refugees’ presently detained in Malaysian prisons.
Tengku Hasan di Tiro had named five Malaysian prisons and centres where he alleged Acheness ‘political refugees’ are being detained and ill-treated, namely in Alor Star, Taiping, Juru in Penang, Sungei Petani and Penang.
For instance, Tengku Hasan di Tiro alleged that Achehness ‘political refugees’ in Alor Star prison had been “subjected to merciless wanton assaults by prison guards, days and nights, until all have suffered bodily injuries causing them to urinate blood. Medical care was refused to them.”
Tengku Hasan alleged some of the Achehness ‘political refugees’ under detention in Malaysia had been held for as long as two years, and that they feared death if they were repatriated beck to Indonesia.
As Malaysia’s international reputation is affected by such allegations of maltreatment of Achehness ‘political refugees’ in Malaysian prisons, DAP calls on the Malaysian Government to take a serious view and allow an all-party Parliamentary delegation to visit the prisons concerned and investigate the allegations of violence, physical assault and maltreatment of the Achehness ‘political refugees’.