S
Shingen Takeda
Guest
Published: Wednesday December 1, 2010 MYT 7:01:00 PM
More than RM1mil a day spent on detainees
By THE ENG HOCK
KUALA LUMPUR: The country spends more RM1mil a day on detainees in its prisons. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop said as at Nov 29, there were 34,946 prisoners in the country.
He said 15.74%, or 5,503 detainees, were Indonesians who had been convicted for various crimes.
"The Government spends RM35 a day on each detainee, which includes the cost of food, equipment, clothing, health, staff wages and rehabilitation programmes," he told Parliament Wednesday in response to a question from Datuk Mohd Nasir Ibrahim Fikri (BN-Kuala Nerus).
Abu Seman said the number of Indonesian detainees had been on the decline, as there were 6,264 Indonesian prisoners last year compared with 7,434 in 2008.