强迫囚犯用巫英语与家人沟通 谢琪清炮轰芙蓉监狱违反人权Prisoners barred from using mother-tongue

森美兰武吉甲巴央州议员谢琪清今日揭露，芙蓉监狱当局禁止华印裔囚犯使用本身母语与家人沟通，只能以巫英文交谈，严重侵犯人权，因此他将向大马人权委员会投诉。

谢琪清今日在芙蓉的行动党森美兰总部，与刚从芙蓉监狱服刑半年获释的黄先生召开记者会，揭发此事。

根据黄先生的说法，狱方强制囚犯与家人通电时使用巫英文，若囚犯坚持使用其他语言，狱卒就会立即挂断电话。

狱方理由：狱卒不谙其他语言

谢琪清当着记者的面前致电给狱方，但是恰好正副总监都不在，因此他只能与一名监狱职员通话，对方证实狱方确有此条规。

狱方的原因是基于安全理由，狱方必须监督囚犯的谈话内容，但是狱卒只谙巫英语，没有懂得其他语言的狱卒，由缺乏通译员。

这名行动党州议员认为，这不能作为剥夺囚犯宪赋权利的理由，因为狱方肯定会录下囚犯的谈话内容，大可将录音交由其他懂得有关语言的官员审查。

谢琪清较后接受《当今大马》电询时透露，除了黄先生，他也接获其他华印裔获释囚犯的相同投诉。

囚犯申诉“为歧视量身定造”

他在记者会上出示一封来自一名仍在服刑的华裔囚犯，从狱内发出来公开申诉信，内容指该项条规直接破坏囚犯与家人从小培养起来的亲切感，“监狱当局藐视宪法，欺负人权”。

“我们身受不公平对待，全因当局采取冷漠麻痹的态度促成。监狱的这一条规，明显是为歧视量身定造。”

“狱长的专横行径令我们强烈感受被边缘化和歧视我们的传统文化，基于国情是多元文化构成的社会，狱长的所作所为以违反宪法，也说明破坏多元文化社会的和谐团结。”

显示“一个大马”是伪口号

谢琪清则表示，虽然囚犯身陷囹圄，但是囚犯依然拥有宪法赋予国人的每一项权力。

“宪法保障我国的每一人都拥有使用本身语言沟通的权力。此项措施已经破坏多元文化社会，更与首相鼓吹的一个马来西亚政策相违背。”

“此项措施严重侵犯人权，阻止囚犯与家人用本身的语言沟通是非常不合理与违反人权的，并显示首相纳吉的一个马来西亚口号是一个伪口号，旨在欺骗选民。”

他表示，将致函大马人权委员会投诉此事。
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Inmates in Seremban Prison are allowed to only converse in Malay or English when making telephone calls to their family members, revealed an ex-prisoner.

The Chinese man, who had served a six-month sentence, had complained to DAP Bukit Kepayang assemblyperson Cha Kee Chin.

The ex-prisoner (photo:left) told a press conference yesterday that wardens would immediately terminate the phone conversation if the inmates conversed in their mother tongue.

When Cha checked with a prison official, the DAP rep was told that the regulation was introduced for security purposes.

The reason given is that there are no wardens who understood other languages and the calls have to be monitored.

However, Cha was not convinced.

Use a translator

He argued that the prison authorities could always record the conversation and later employ a translator to check the contents.

Cha also told Malaysiakini that several Chinese and Indian prisoners had complained to him.

He also read an open letter from a Chinese prisoner who is still serving his jail term, who claimed that the regulation was 'tailored to discriminate' non-Malay prisoners.

Cha stressed that communicating in mother tongue language is a right guaranteed in the federal constitution even for prisoners.

"This regulation violates human rights. Banning prisoners from communicating with family members in their own language is unreasonable," he said.

The DAP rep also plans to lodge a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) regarding this issue.