ONE in two temporary detention centres holding undocumented migrants in Malaysia is overcrowded, raising concerns that there could be new clusters waiting to explode, said National Task Force (NTF) commandeer vice-admiral Aris Adi Tan Abdullah.

All undocumented foreigners are held in six temporary detention centres (PTS) and 14 immigration depots.

“For PTS, there are two centres in the peninsula and four in Sabah. Ten out of the 20 detention centres are now overcrowded.

“For example, in Tawau, the capacity is only 1,000 but there are 1,565 individuals there,” Aris told The Malaysian Insight.

Aris said that the detention centre in Kota Kinabalu is currently 81% over its capacity.

“The immigration department is in the process of deporting a number of detainees and working on logistical issues.”

The NTF did not name the overcrowded temporary centres.

Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, however, said three temporary detention centres in Sabah have created new clusters.

These are Rumah Merah, PTS Sandakan and PTS Tawau.

Previously, several detention centres, such as in Alor Star, Kedah, were placed under the enhanced movement-control order (EMCO).

As of yesterday, the Health Ministry recorded 440 positive cases in the Tawau PTS involving detainees and prison staff.

In the Sandakan PTS, 111 individuals tested positive and more than 650 have been screened while the Rumah Merah cluster recorded 111 infections.

All three temporary detention centres are still under EMCO.

Malaysia yesterday reported a record 1,755 new Covid-19 cases in a single day, the highest since the pandemic began in the country.

A total of 741 cases or 42.2% of the total are from clusters related to prisons and temporary detention centres.

Cases of internal infections in detention centres have been reported.

Last week, a PTS in Kota Kinabalu was placed under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) after 56 detainees were found positive for Covid-19.

The lockdown will involve 1,820 detainees and 114 staff members at the detention centre.

The NTF is an agency comprising 19 security bodies formed in May to stop the entry of undocumented migrants into the country as the nation battles the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than 8,000 illegal immigrants from 56 countries have been arrested between May and November this year in efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus. – November 7, 2020.