Prisoners Not Forgotten By Their Families On The Year Of Dragon

By Kisho Kumari Sucedaram KAJANG (Malaysia), Jan 25 (Bernama) -- Each time the festive season arrives, prisoners are given space to celebrate the joy together with their family members. While most of the Chinese community enjoyed celebrating the Year of the Dragon out in the world, hundreds took this opportunity to visit relatives who are inmates in the Kajang Prison. In conjunction with the Chinese New Year, family members and relatives of inmates from the Chinese community were allowed to visit them at prisons nationwide Wednesday and Thursday. Inspector of the Kajang Prison Nurul Hizar Abidin said that 407 Chinese prisoners were allowed to meet their family members for two days, from 8.15am until 4.15pm. "Before noon, 93 families had visited their inmate relatives and we are expecting to reach about 200 families by 4.15pm," he told reporters here Wednesday. Many visitors brought their kids and babies to show to loved ones on this auspicious day and came as early as 8am, although they are only able to see each other through a glass barrier. Yap Jun Qi, 12, expressed happiness to meet his father, who was sentenced to three years in prison for a fight that involved death. "I wish he could celebrate the Chinese New Year together with us next year and at the same time hope he will live a better life with no repeat mistakes. "I don’t want him to fight, to get angry and hit people," he said. Chen Yong Soon, 35, who came to visit his brother-in-law, said he felt so happy and thankful toward the management of Kajang Prison for giving the chance to share the joy together. "The management provided us with a few choices of foods, such as mandarin oranges, fruits, biscuits and cakes, to be bought for the inmates, which made me feel that prisoners are not abandoned during memorable days," he said. He said he hoped for his brother-in-law's early release, knowing that it is painful celebrating the festive season within stone walls and steel fences. He said he wished that the visiting hours could be extended, as many of the relatives had to wait for hours before they could meet their loved ones. "I think they should open more space so that it will be easier for everyone, and so those coming with kids and babies would not have to wait so long," he said. -- BERNAMA