Non-governmental organisation Tenaganita has called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to investigate the health crisis at the KL International Airport Immigration depot in Sepang, where two detainees have died so far.

It was time the government took a stronger stand to ensure detention centres are kept clean and detainees healthy, it said.

Tenaganita coordinator Aegile Fernandez said it was wrong for anyone to die while under  government custody. She also felt the country lacked the political will to make changes.

“Once again, we see deaths and illnesses in detention camps. This has been going on for years. Malaysia should follow international standards and keep detention centres clean and healthy. No one should go into a centre healthy and leave sick or worse, dead,” Fernanadez said.

She called for an immediate investigation to be launched into the current situation at the KLIA Immigration depot by the relevant agencies, saying the authorities must be transparent in their findings.

KLIA Immigration depot commandant Shainurin Shaari said yesterday seven Myanmar detainees from the depot’s Block B were now warded at the Putrajaya Hospital.

Two others had received outpatient treatment. “They are reported to be stable and are warded in the hospital. But we are still unable to determine what is afflicting them,” Shainurin said.

He added that officials at the depot were no closer to finding out the underlying cause for so many Myanmar inmates falling ill.

All the ailing detainees had shown no prior sign of illness but had complained of severe internal aches.

Only the Myanmar nationals had taken ill. None of the detainees from Block A had reportedly shown any similar symptoms.