By North-South Initiative

On 9 July 2019, Thomas Orhions Ewasinha, a 34-year old Nigerian student with a valid visa, died in custody in the Bukit Jalil Immigration Centre. An inquest into his death has been conducted by a coroner. Hearings have concluded, the decision is pending.

This is the first time an inquest into the death of an immigration detainee has been conducted in Malaysia, in open court. Much has been written about it in the blog Rest Stop Thoughts, atΒ write2rest.blogspot.com.

According to sworn testimony given at the inquest, (1) Thomas had much cash with him when he was detained, (2) bribes were paid to secure his release, but he was never released, (3) he was not given appropriate medical treatment for the medical conditions he suffered from. The coroner has yet to deliver her decision.

The court has audio recordings of everything said in court. The court can provide a written transcript of the recordings. Such transcripts are called Notes of Proceedings (NoP). The coroner’s court has indicated that the NoP will only be provided if transcription costs are paid.

The cost is about RM8,000. Family, friends and well-wishers have raised RM2,000. The NoP in this case is of enormous value for exposing, through sworn testimony, including of immigration officers, long-hidden truths about immigration detention in Malaysia.

North South Initiative (NSI), is a Malaysian NGO which works to end abuse of foreigners in Malaysia. Due to the immense value of the NoP in this case, NSI has offered to raise the balance of RM6,000 to purchase the NoP. NSI is a well-managed, trustworthy NGO.

You are offered this opportunity to make an investment in immigration reform in Malaysia by contributing to the cost of the NoP. Any amount you give will help. This is the bank account information:

Account Name: North South Initiative
Bank: Maybank
Account No: 514253507656
Description: ThomasNoP
Email:Β [email protected]Β Β CC :Β [email protected]

It would be helpful if you email or WhatsApp an image of your deposit record to NSI at +60122900756. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can choose not to send the image.