Man appeals for govt help to free sister detained in Sambas
According to the family members, the woman was cheated by an Indonesian man in Bau, who told her that he could assist her in getting an Indonesian passport as she was desperate in wanting to go to China to meet her friend.
KUCHING: A self- employed man has appealed to the relevant authorities in Malaysia to contact and meet their Indonesian counterparts to facilitate the release of his younger sister who is believed to have been detained at the Indonesian immigration centre in Sambas, West Kalimantan.
The man who only wanted to be known as Ting said a police report had been lodged pertaining to the matter on March 28 with the hope that the relevant Malaysian bodies in Malaysia such as the police, Foreign Ministry, the consulate in Pontianak and the Indonesian Consulate will speed up the legal process.
According to him, he only knew that his 37-year- old sister was in Indonesia after being told by her female business partner on Jan 16 by phone that she could not contact his sister who had gone there to apply for an Indonesian passport.
He claimed some individuals from Indonesia, including one who identified himself as a lawyer, had called him up to offer their services for the release of her sister, but he refused to deal with them as he did not trust them.
Ting said aside from lodging the police report, he had also approached Sarawak United
Wilfred Yap, Sarawak United People’s Party public complaints bureau chairman
People’s Party public complaints bureau for legal assistance.
Bureau chairman Wilfred Yap confirmed that it had been approached by the family members of the detained woman.
“According to the family members, the woman was cheated by an Indonesian man in Bau, who told her that he could assist her in getting an Indonesian passport as she was desperate in wanting to go to China to meet her friend.
“This was because her own Malaysian passport was withheld by the Malaysian authority for two years due to some problems she faced when she was working in Papua New Guinea,” he told a press conference at SUPP headquarters here yesterday.
Yap said the woman was arrested after she followed the Indonesian man to go to Kalimantan through Serikin near Bau using a ‘ jalan tikus, without a valid passport.
He said the bureau would write to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysian Consulate General in Pontianak to assist the Sarawakian woman to ensure her welfare, basic and medical needs are taken care of and to speed up the legal process to facilitate her release from detention.
“The bureau will continue to follow up and monitor the situation closely until her predicament is resolved,” he said.
The bureau also cautioned Sarawakians not to enter Indonesia using ‘jalan tikus’ and without valid passport.
Yap said every Sarawakian should comply with the immigration regulations of Indonesia and apply for a visa in accordance with the purpose of their visit.
He said the bureau also hoped that the public would be more discerning in their decisions and not be easily swayed by sweet promises. They were also advised to abide by the law as this would go a long way in ensuring that they do not find themselves at the wrong side of the law.