Published on: Saturday, April 08, 2006 |
Kota Kinabalu: An unknown number of illegal immigrants at the Menggatal Temporary Detention Centre took advantage of a commotion to escape at 11pm Friday.
However, at least 10 aged 9 to 20 were recaptured in the vicinity within an hour. They included six males and a girl. They had been kept there pending deportation and three large holes were found in the perimeter fencing.
It was learnt that the situation became tense following an argument between a male detainee and a woman personnel at the centre who demanded immediate medical treatment for his child.
Some 300 detainees joined in when the father began hurling verbal abuse. The quick arrival of police prevented the situation from getting out of hand.
The centre witnessed rioting on two occasions in recent months by detainees unhappy at being detained for long periods.
