The Philippine Commission on Human Rights is seeking "timely and effective cooperation" from the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) to probe and document the alleged human rights violations of Filipino migrants in Sabah.

In a letter to Suhakam dated Sept 6 which was made available to malaysiakini, the Philippine commission requested to investigate and document the alleged violations, including the burning of residences and incidents of sexual slavery as reported in the media.

The commission also wants to investigate and document other alleged incidents such as the death of 13 deportees, mostly children, and their maltreatment and harassment in the detention centres.

The commission secretary, Homero Matthew P Rusiana, said they wanted to prevent a recurrence "or further human rights violations of alleged undocumented aliens in Malaysia, especially the rights of children and women".

He said the commission decided to investigate and document the alleged violations after accounts of their arrests, detention, maltreatment by Malaysian authorities were highlighted in the local media.

"(We have also resolved to) coordinate and assist these victims to seek redress in accordance with the legal system of the government of Malaysia," he added.

The Philippine commission will also make arrangements with the Malaysian authorities and government agencies to coordinate the investigation and documentation.

Rusiana said data obtained by the commission revealed that a total of 40,041 deportees have been processed since 1995.

"Of this, 13,721 deportees were processed between January and August this year, with 27.24 percent comprising children," he added.

He also reiterated the commission's mandate was to provide legal representation to protect the human rights of all persons in the country as well as citizens residing abroad.

Suhakam welcomes move

Meanwhile, Suhakam commissioner Prof Hamdan Adnan welcomed the move and said the rights body will work closely with its Philippine counterpart.

"We are more than willing to work together with the Philippine authority. As for the alleged rape-molest case of the 13-year-old, we cannot duplicate investigations since the police have already initiated an investigation," he told malaysiakini yesterday.

The girl's claim of sexual abuse by a Malaysian police officer led Philippine president Gloria Arroyo to express her outrage in a letter to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Following this, Mahathir called for swift action and the police have set up a special team to probe the allegation. The Philippine government has since engaged the services of two Malaysian lawyers.

Hamdan, who visited three Sabah detention camps after allegations of ill-treatment surfaced, said: "It must be remembered that we are only talking about temporary detention centres (and not prisons)."

Elaborating further on his visits to the detention camps in Menggatal, Sandakan and Tawau, the Suhakam commissioner said he visited the first camp after giving a one-hour notice.

"I spoke to some Indonesians in there and observed the structure of the building. The male and female detainees were kept separately. There were also a few big families, including some with 12 children," he said.

Suhakam misleading Malaysians

On Monday, Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez accused Suhakam of misleading Malaysians by saying there were no human rights violations in immigration detention camps.

She noted that detainees may find it difficult to complain in the presence of camp officials. The social activist also urged Suhakam to upgrade its investigation procedures and be less bureaucratic.

Commenting on this, Hamdan said he was merely reporting the situation based on his observation of the people present in the camps.

"I don't think the camp commandant can dramatise or fake the mood of the detainees. If there are any serious and visible injuries, no way anyone can hide them from us.

"When you talk to them, you also observe their mood, including the children who are playing around, giggling happily.

"This is one of the indicators of the condition in the camps. But we also know the problem of complaining in the presence of camp officials," he said.

Hamdan said Tenaganita should try to work with Suhakam in addressing human rights violations in detention camps, including prisons.

"I feel Irene is being very unreasonable. She should have an open mind and try to work together with Suhakam instead.

"We are willing to work with any group. If possible, we even want to try and arrange for members of non-governmental organisations to be part of our team visiting these centres," he said.

Ties between Kuala Lumpur and neighbouring Manila and Jakarta have been strained in recent months due to the massive repatriation exercise which saw about 500,000 undocumented workers being sent back home.