Malaysians Held on Drug Charges in 40 Countries: Deputy Minister

Malaysians have been held on drug charges in 40 countries, Deputy Foreign Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Oct 29), according to a Bernama report carried by Malay Mail, in which he said tighter enforcement in those countries was among the reasons such cases were drawing more attention.

He said Malaysia was working to clarify the situation with the countries concerned, as the country’s perceived high numbers in drug cases had prompted stricter enforcement abroad.

Malaysians Held on Drug Charges Overseas

Lukanisman was replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Doris Sophia Brodi (GPS-Sri Aman), who asked about government initiatives and cooperation with ASEAN and other partners against cross-border syndicates. She cited fake job offers and schemes that pay people to carry luggage containing drugs.

“The techniques for smuggling drugs into those countries are growing more sophisticated and diverse,” he said.

He said this required close cooperation between enforcement agencies and between countries, and that Malaysia would use the ASEAN platform to step up discussions on cross-border drug crime, including at future multilateral conferences.

Questions on Prisoner Transfers

Dr Halimah Ali (PN-Kapar) asked which countries Malaysia was negotiating with on an international prisoner transfer agreement. Her question followed the signing of an International Transfer of Prisoners treaty with Pakistan on Aug 21.

She also raised the matter of prisoners serving the remainder of their sentences in Malaysia under the International Transfer of Prisoners Act 2012.

Lukanisman said Malaysia was refining its cooperation with Thailand and Indonesia on transferring offenders through diplomatic channels.

Consular Help for Detained Citizens

The deputy minister said Wisma Putra’s role included providing consular assistance to Malaysians detained abroad and informing their families.

The report did not list the 40 countries or give the number of Malaysians currently held on drug charges overseas.

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