REFUGEE aid activist Heidy Quah will be charged tomorrow for a Facebook post wrote last year about a former detainee’s experience in immigration detention.

The founder of Refuge for the Refugees said on Facebook tonight that she will be charged at the Cyber Crimes Court at Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur under Section 233(1) Communications and Multimedia Act.

She said her post on June 5, 2020 was written at a time during the pandemic when mass immigration raids and arrests were taking place.

“The sharing on my Facebook was intended to highlight my concerns about the conditions in immigration detention centres and the harm that would be caused by sending more people en masse into immigration detention centres that were known to be overcrowded and unhygienic.

“As I head to court tomorrow, I still stand by this – what I spoke up about wasn’t unfounded. 

“In fact, SUHAKAM’s (Malaysian Human Rights Commission) annual reports reflect the very concerns I had then, and even now: poor hygiene standards at the depot, abuse, mistreatment, neglect, and poor sanitation, all of which could increase risks of infections and other communicable diseases spreading – something we definitely do not want, especially during a global pandemic,” Quah said tonight.

After her post last year, Quah was investigated but continued with her refugee work, providing food aid to 700 to 1,000 families each week.

“These families not only consist of refugees and migrants, but our local B40 communities as well who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and ongoing lockdowns.

“As daily positive cases hit an all-time high, it is unfortunate and frustrating that the government’s energy and resources are spent on investigating me, when it should be spent focusing on the three Ps: the Parliament, the Pandemic and the People. 

“While this charge has shaken me up, I will go forward with courage tomorrow – I will not be silenced for speaking up,” she said. – July 26, 2021.