UPDATED

NRI woman sues Malaysian government for RM6 million, for unlawful detention

Ipoh, Malaysia, Nov. 15, 2008
Sampuran Singh

NRI M. Rajeshvari, 23, has sued the Malaysian government for RM6 million (US $150,000) with eight per cent interest from the date of arrest for 11 month unlawful detention on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant. She was six months pregnant when she was detained. The suit was filed by her lawyer A. Magesan at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry on Thursday.

Rajeshvari is claiming general damages for "trespass, harassment, unlawful detention, pain and suffering."

M Rajeshvari who was arrested by police at a restaurant and could not recall her ID card number, was sent to jail and on to an immigration detention depot on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant. Rajeshvari was finally freed from the depot on Sept 5 after Malaysian Indian Youth Council vice-president Andrew Raju helped in proving her identity as a Malaysian by tracing her birth certificate through the primary school.

She has sued the government including Home Minister Syed Hamid Syed Albar and Inspector General of Police, Musa Hassan.

As one: Rajeshvari holding her temporary IC as her mother Parameswari and her sister Vigneswari who is holding Logekali look on. - Star, 10/9/2008 -Rajeshvari and son meet her mother and sister

NRI Malaysian pregnant woman spent 11 agonising months at the Lenggeng Immigration depot for illegals – all because she could not recall her identity card number and was not fluent in Bahasa Malaysia.

NRI Malaysian pregnant woman demands apology from Immigration

Ipoh, Malaysia, Sep. 17, 2008

NRI M. Rajeshvari, 22 years old and six months pregnant was arrested in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, and was detained for the past 11 months because the authorities wrongly believed her to be an 'undocumented migrant'. They did 'not believe' her when she said she was a Malaysian.

According to TheStar News: Young mother M. Rajeshvari, who was recently released from the Lenggeng Immigration depot for illegals in Negri Sembilan, wants an apology from the department’s director-general for her wrongful detention.

Perak Health, Environment and Human Resources Committee chairman A. Sivanesan relayed Rajeshvari’s demand during a press conference yesterday as she is not fluent in Bahasa Malaysia.

He said it had been two weeks since Rajeshvari’s release, but department director-general Datuk Mahmud Adam had been “dead silent” on the matter.

“There is no apology, offer of compensation or visit to her Kampar house to explain her wrongful detention,” he told reporters yesterday.

It was reported that Rajeshvari spent 11 agonising months at the depot because she could not recall her MyKad number and was not fluent in Bahasa Malaysia.

The 22-year-old, who was six months pregnant then, was waiting for a relative at a coffeeshop in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, when a raiding police party asked to see her MyKad.

She failed to produce her MyKad as she had lost it.

Noting that Rajeshvari planned to sue the department, Sivanesan said the police officer and Immigration Department officer involved in her arrest and subsequent detention should come forward and explain.

Urging the department to check all detention depots in the country, Sivanesan said he feared that Rajeshvari’s case could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran, who was also present, said when Rajeshvari was charged in court, she was not given an interpreter who could converse in Tamil nor was she given any legal representation.

“It is the court’s duty to provide an accused with an interpreter and a lawyer,” he said.

Malaysian spends 11 months at depot for illegals

Sunday September 7, 2008
By C.S. NATHAN

SEREMBAN: Young mother M. Rajeshvari spent 11 agonising months at the Lenggeng Immigration depot for illegals – all because she could not recall her identity card number and was not fluent in Bahasa Malaysia.

The 22-year-old, who was six months pregnant then, was waiting for a relative at a coffeeshop in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, when a raiding police party asked to see her identification card. She could not because she had lost it. Worse, she also forgot the IC number.

With only primary school education and speaking a smattering of Bahasa Malaysia, she failed to convince the authorities she was Malaysian. They suspected her to be a Sri Lankan immigrant.

Making matters worse, she could only give the officers sketchy details of her background.

Rajeshvari, who is from Penang and was jobless when she was detained, was later produced in court and eventually sent to the depot in Lenggeng in October last year.

She was unable to seek help from relatives because of estranged family ties. Her family members also did not attempt to look for her.

She was finally released from the detention camp on Friday evening, carrying her 10-month-old son Logekali.

Rajeshvari’s lucky release happened because a staff member at a clinic where Logekali was treated for food poisoning last week had alerted Malaysian Indian Youth Council vice-president Andrew Raju.

“After my arrest, I kept telling the authorities I was Malaysian but no one believed me,” said a tearful Rajeshvari.

Raju, when met outside the depot, said the officers did not pursue her case further as Rajeshvari could not give the right IC number or her parents’ address.

“In the beginning, I also had a hard time checking her out because the information she gave turned out to be dead ends, until she recalled her primary school,” he said.

Raju then contacted the school’s principal in Kampar in Perak, who managed to trace Rajeshvari’s birth certificate number.

Raju then went to the National Registration Department in Putrajaya to get a letter confirming Rajeshvari’s citizenship.

“It has been stressful running around to the various departments. But it is worth it when both mother and son are finally free,” he said.

Rajeshvari said she wanted to put the nightmare behind and start afresh with her baby.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/7/nation/22260772&sec=nation