Malaysia Discusses Transfer Of Prisoners With Indonesia

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya JAKARTA, April 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has proposed to Indonesia the possibility of both countries carrying out transfer of prisoners in the future. Malaysia's Attorney-General Gani Patail said he conveyed the proposal to his Indonesian counterpart at a meeting last Monday and that it had been received well. Abdul Gani said transfer of prisoners would be for the mutual benefit of both countries, and that it would also facilitate visit by the families of prisoners in their own home countries. "I am looking at that and I intend to discuss this at length with the Jaksa Agung (Indonesia's Attorney General)," Abdul Gani, who is on a four-day visit here, told Bernama in an interview. On Monday, the Attorneys-General's Chambers of both countries signed an agreement on legal cooperation, which was followed by a meeting where both sides agreed to convene a monthly working group meeting within the next six months to resolve numerous legal issues. Abdul Gani said he would consult the Malaysian Home Ministry on the transfer proposal and that if both countries agreed on the matter, the next step would be to look into each other's prison systems. "This is among the issues which I want to see coming to fruition within the next six months," he said. On the agreement signed on Monday, he said, it created a mechanism to exchange information such as in matters regarding the national of one party facing issues or becoming victims of crime in the territory of the other party. They also discussed legal aid provisions, such as those provided by Malaysia's Legal Aid Bureau, for Malaysian or Indonesian national facing prosecution in the other party's court. "The important thing is there shouldn't be any misunderstanding on why a person is arrested or being charged. So, exchange of information is important," he said. Abdul Gani said he had conveyed to Indonesia's AG, Barief Arief, the possibility of sending his officers for attachments at Malaysia's AG Chambers so that they could make direct contact with Indonesians who have been arrested or facing legal issues in Malaysia. Another aspect discussed by the committee was counselling for long-term prisoners prior to their release, he said. "For instance, if a person spends 20 years in jail, he might no longer be able to recognise his own village," he said. Abdul Gani said under the proposal, officers from the embassies would come and meet the prisoners six months or a year before their release and inform them about their family and the conditions of their village. This is to prepare them and facilitate their integration back into their village community, he said. On problems faced by fishermen in both countries' territorial waters, he said, discussions on the matter centred around the definition which would be used for such offence. Among issues to be considered, Abdul Gani said, was to identify whether to charge these fishermen for illegal fishing or for encroachment. Other issues deliberated during the meeting were narcotics trafficking, terrorism, illegal logging and environmental crime. "I have raised these issues with them, which I'm very concerned. Environmental crime includes wildlife smuggling from Indonesia. We as a country must honour our international obligation. "How are we going to tackle this, that's where cooperation is needed," he said. -- BERNAMA