Women and migrant workers welfare NGO, Tenaganita said that the lack of preventive measures have resulted in a ‘mystery' disease that killed one and hospitalised six inmates of the KLIA Immigration Depot.

When contacted by Malaysiakini , a member of the detention facility staff confirmed the death and hospitalisation of its inmates.

However, according to the staff member, the death is being classified as ‘from natural causes' pending a medical report from the Putrajaya General Hospital.

The detention facility staff further explained, that until the medical report states otherwise, no preventive measures are being taken.

When informed about the depot's reaction to the matter, Tenaganita expressed its worry that the disease may spread to other detention blocks infecting more inmates if preventive measures are not taken.

The NGO coordinator Aegile Fernendez told Malaysiakini , "Once more the issue of conditions in detention depots is being raised we are witnessing death in custody again and again."

She wondered,"how many more detainees have to die before the issue of death, illness and bad conditions in detention depots are given serious attention by the authorities."

"Six more ill and the rest are in danger of being infected," said Fernendez, calling upon authorities and the PM to address the matter before it gets worse."

The deceased, a Burmese national died last Saturday at the Putrajaya General Hospital, where the seven inmates - all of whom shared a block at KLIA's immigration detention centre - were sent after falling sick.

Doctors at the hospital are still baffled by the unidentified disease afflicting the victims, all of whom shared similar symptoms.

A medical inquiry is currently underway.

Contradicting facts

This latest death and the apparent lack of preventive action by depot authorities seem to contradict the director general of Immigration Abdul Rahman's statement to the media last May after Leptospirosis - a disease which spreads from contact with animal urine - struck down 38 inmates at the Juru Immigration Depot in Penang, killing two.

Speaking to the Bernama, the director general said that "Cleanliness and hygiene at immigration depots nationwide are to be stepped-up to ensure safety of staff and inmates there against contracting infectious diseases."

It would seem, that the International Federation for Human Right's (IFHR) fear - outlined in their statement about the death of the two inmates in Juru - that Rahman's statement was "merely a knee-jerk response, which is temporary in nature" may hold water after all.

It was reported last year that the number of illegal foreigners dying in detention in Malaysia numbered about 1,300 deaths in the six years from 2002 to 2008.

Malaysian Human Rights commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam told Malaysian Nanban that "Many of them died in immigration detention centres, prisons and police lockups because they were denied medical treatment at the right time."