PETALING JAYA: Rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) has called on police to take criminal action against the military personnel allegedly caught on video assaulting a migrant worker.
The group condemned the alleged act and said the comment by armed forces chief Affendi Buang that those in the video only “acted a little beyond bounds” was “regrettable”.
In a statement, LFL said a high-ranking personnel should not “trivialise” the act depicted in the video.
It noted that such allegations were not new, and urged the government and relevant authorities to take a strong stance against unlawful acts against migrant workers.
“Similar concerns have time and again been raised by a number of civil society organisations and even the international media. The videos that are currently making their rounds serve as damning evidence to prove that the allegations are not baseless.
“The culture of impunity among enforcement authorities is a serious problem that has become more apparent during the imposition of the movement control order (MCO).
“The unclear SOPs have led to abuse of power by enforcement authorities who have arbitrarily and inconsistently enforced the rules and regulations imposed during the MCO. The unlawful assault and mistreatment of migrant workers is yet another example of this abuse,” it said.
LFL said the authorities should ensure that nobody should be subject to physical harm for breaching SOPs.
“Their duty is and has always been to safeguard the people, including migrants and refugees, from further spread of Covid-19 and they must execute it within the confines of the law,” it said.