Tuesday, 22 April 2008

Detainees riot at depot

Police keeping watch over the detainees after the riot ended. — NST picture by Dzulkeffli Mustapha


NST Online
2008/04/22

By : Rizalman Hammim

SEREMBAN: Some 60 detainees, mostly Myanmar political refugees, at the Lenggeng Immigration depot rioted yesterday, setting an administrative building ablaze and destroying office equipment in the process.

Police arrested 14 detainees - six each from Myanmar and Indonesia and one each from Cambodia and Vietnam - to assist investigations into the 8am incident.

Police believe the riot began after the Myanmar nationals heard rumours that their applications to live in another country had been rejected.

However, it is unclear why detainees from other countries were involved in the riot. It is understood the other foreigners may have just taken advantage of the situation.

State police chief Datuk Osman Salleh said the detainees first tore down a perimeter fence and entered the administrative building, located in the middle of four blocks housing some 820 male detainees.

More than 100 policemen, including 40 Federal Reserve Unit members, had to be called in to handle the situation.

They were joined by an equal number of Rela, Immigration Department and Civil Defence Department personnel.

Firemen from the Seremban fire brigade station were also called in and they managed to bring the fire under control within a short time.

"The fire destroyed several computers and furniture on the ground floor of the two-storey building. "Investigations are under way to determine if any important documents were destroyed," said Osman.

He said no injuries were reported in the riot, adding that police did not find any weapons or the substance used to start the fire.

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