Taiping Prison more fit as a museum, Suhakam says after inmate’s death

KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has proposed that Taiping Prison cease operating as a detention facility and be converted into a museum following the discovery of multiple infrastructure and safety issues.

The recommendation follows findings from Suhakam’s public inquiry into the Jan 17, 2025 incident at Taiping Prison, which claimed the life of inmate Gan Chin Eng, 61.

Suhakam chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Hishamudin Md Yunus said the panel also proposed that the government build a new prison at a different location to replace the heritage-listed facility.

“The Public Inquiry Panel recommends that the continued use of Taiping Prison at its current site be reviewed, taking into account its heritage status, infrastructure condition, building safety, as well as the welfare of inmates and prison personnel.

“It is time for Taiping Prison, built in 1879 and gazetted as a heritage building, to cease operating as a detention facility and instead be converted into a museum or heritage site,” he said.

Hishamudin said the prison’s heritage status had resulted in complex bureaucracy, high maintenance costs and structural limitations that hindered sanitation upgrades, leading to severe physical deterioration.

The panel found that the prison’s dilapidated condition was among the factors contributing to human rights violations and violence, which led to the inmate’s death.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

المصدر: New Straits Times