Rape charge draws president, prime minister into migrants row
Rape charge draws president, prime minister into migrants row
Agencies Kuala Lumpur
The alleged rape of a 13-year-old migrant girl which outraged Philippine President Gloria Arroyo drew a personal response on Thursday from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad amid a bitter row over Malaysia's mass expulsion of illegal immigrants.
Mahathir pledged swift action over Arroyo's complaint in a letter to him that the girl had been raped, reportedly by a policeman at a detention center.
"The Malaysian government and I personally view with serious concern the allegation made by a Filipino minor (named) that she was a victim of sexual molestation in one of the detention centers in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah," Mahathir said in a statement.
"I have directed that a swift and thorough investigation be conducted by the authorities concerned to verify the allegation. I would like to assure the government and people of the Philippines that appropriate action will be taken against those responsible in accordance with Malaysian laws."
Rapists in Malaysia face not less than five years and not more than 20 years in jail and are also liable to be whipped.
Mahathir's statement came in response to Arroyo's letter, sent on Wednesday, which expressed her "personal outrage and that of the Filipino people" over the alleged rape.
Asked by reporters how he felt about the strongly worded complaint, Mahathir said: "Well, it is strongly worded because they feel very angry about it. And our people should learn that they cannot get away with this kind of thing. This is damaging for them and the nation."
The case is the latest cause of friction over Malaysia's crackdown on illegal immigrants, which has seen more than 380,000 people fleeing the country or being deported ahead of tough new punishments including jail and caning.
However, the Philippines said on Thursday its row with Malaysia over Kuala Lumpur's expulsions of Filipino illegals would not impair harmony within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Foreign Secretary Blas Ople also rejected suggestions from local lawmakers for Manila to recall its ambassador from Kuala Lumpur as an expression of outrage over the deportation of some 70,000 undocumented Filipinos from that country in recent months.
Arroyo on Monday dispatched a seven-man government team to investigate charges that a number of children of illegal immigrants had died after being poorly treated at detention camps in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island.
The girl who was allegedly raped was among 500 deportees who arrived in the southern Philippines aboard a coastguard vessel from Sabah on Tuesday, according to social workers there. They said she needed immediate psychological help.
Arroyo's team of investigators completed their work on Thursday, after visiting three detention centers, and said in a joint statement with the Malaysian authorities that it found the government "has exerted all efforts to ease the hardships of Filipino detainees/deportees."
"The Philippine delegation is satisfied that these efforts meet Philippine expectations," said the statement, which was signed by team leader Nur Jafaar and Sabah Chief Minister Chong Kah Kiat.
Jaafar said 536 illegal immigrants were being held at the three detention centers in Sabah and they would be shipped home as soon as possible, but added that there were an estimated 300,000 undocumented Filipinos still in Malaysia.
Sabah state police chief Ramli Yusuff said police had "suspended operations to arrest illegals for a while", but did not elaborate.
Malaysia's crackdown on illegal immigrants, who flock to the relatively wealthy Southeast Asian nation in search of jobs, has also sparked protests in Indonesia.