SOME 1,560 MALAYSIANS DETAINED ABROAD SINCE 1991

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 23 (Bernama) -- A total of 1,560 Malaysian citizens were
detained in foreign countries since 1991, including 315 who were arrested for
various offences this year, the House of Representatives was told Tuesday.

Deputy Foreign Minister A. Kohilan Pillay said 785 of them, including 149
women, were also believed to have been used as drug mules by drug smuggling
syndicates.

"These women usually became involved and conned into being drug mules for
the syndicate with the promise of lavish returns," he said in reply to Dr
Marcus Mojigoh, a member of Parliament (MP) during question time.

Kohilan Pillay said the government had always viewed seriously the problem
of people in this country being conned into being drug mules and that the
Ministry was conducting continuous awareness campaigns to educate the public
about the issue.

He said the ministry was also working with the Malaysian Drug Prevention
Association, police, Higher Education Ministry and non-governmental
organizations to formulate effective awareness programmes to tackle the issue.



As to the case of Yong Vui Kong, a Malaysian who was found guilty of drug
trafficking and sentenced to death in Singapore, Kohilan Pillay said Foreign
Minister Anifah Aman had submitted a letter to his Singaporean
counterpart,George Yeo, during the ASEAN Ministers Meeting in Hanoi on July 20,
requesting for a lighter sentence for Yong on humanitarian grounds.

"On July 30, the Singaporean Foreign Minister responded to the request,
saying that the Singapore government will take into considerations all factors
and supporting documents before making any decision on the case," he said.

Yong, 22, was sentenced to death on Jan 7 last year after he was convicted
of trafficking 47gm of drug on June 13, 2007.

In the case of a polytechnic student from Sabah, Christina Luke Niju, who
was detained at the Meilan Airport in China on suspicion of smuggling
drugs, Kohilan Pillay said the case was still being investigated by the
authorities in China.

He said the ministry opined that it was inappropriate to interfere with
the legal processes in China except to ensure that the investigation was
conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

"An officer from the Malaysian Consulate-General in Guangzhou, China, had
visited Christina at the Haikou Detention Centre on Aug 6 to ensure her welfare,
health and fundamental rights are protected," he said.

-- BERNAMA



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