KOTA KINABALU – An activist claims that the nine people arrested during yesterday’s water supply protest at the Sabah chief minister’s office included a teacher and students from a stateless school.
Mukmin Nantang, founder of Borneo Komrad, a non-governmental organisation based in Sabah, said that the teacher, Syahfeeq Rondin, was accompanying eight students from the Alternative School, a school for stateless children, on an educational tour called the Alternative University and Stateless Union Tour.
Mukmin explained in a Facebook post today that the group was on tour and travelling in a van when they were detained by police and taken to the Kota Kinabalu police headquarters in Kepayan around 5pm yesterday.
Mukmin said the students appeared to be participating in the protest as part of their tour, which included visiting Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and engaging in student activities organised by Suara Mahasiswa UMS, the protest organiser.
Mukmin noted that all detained students were born in Sabah and have been educated at the Alternative School in Semporna, run by Borneo Komrad since 2017. They presented various identification documents, such as the Lepa letter (Bajau Laut document), clinic cards, village chief verification letters, and student cards.
“Syafeeq takes the responsibility and risks to give the rights to these marginalised children to live free, gain knowledge, and move like other children. For many years, this is the type of risk that our teachers have to bear to fight for these children’s rights,” he said.
Yesterday, some 50 individuals, including UMS students, NGOs, and local community members, held a peaceful demonstration at Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor’s office to submit a memorandum demanding immediate solutions to Sabah’s water supply issues.
Mukmin announced that he is taking full responsibility for the incident and that Borneo Komrad has appointed a lawyer to secure the release of the teacher and students.
He said that they are not criminals, but individuals fighting for their right to education and a peaceful life.
“I know this struggle is full of risks. However, as someone who is educated, I believe that all humans should be treated the same. The right to have access to information and the right to live peacefully should be enjoyed by all humans.
“I will try my best to fight for the release of our teacher and our students,” he said, stressing that they are not criminals.
Earlier today, Kota Kinabalu police chief Kasim Muda confirmed the arrests, stating that one adult, a Malaysian citizen, was detained for protecting eight migrants.
Police inspected a van near the Sabah State Administrative Centre compound around 5.10pm yesterday, where the protest occurred.
Four women and four men failed to present self-identification documents, and the van was seized. The suspects were remanded under the Immigration Act 1959/1963. – June 15, 2024