'Mala's family must hire lawyer in Nepal to free her' | New Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR: The family of Mala Vello, a trafficked person imprisoned in Nepal, will have to appoint a lawyer to free her from her seven-year prison sentence.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said there was a previous case of a Malaysian being released using the same method.

“The ministry, through our mission in Kathmandu, is following this matter closely.

“Our consul recently met (Mala). (His) family must hire a lawyer to obtain his release. She served two years of her seven-year sentence.

“There is a previous case where a Malaysian offender was released using this method,” he told the The times of the new straits (NST), adding that Mala was in good health.

Previously, the NST reported that Mala had her passport confiscated by her alleged trafficker, who was her partner, for 10 years and was subjected to beatings, starvation and constant threats of gang rape if she tried to go to the police.

After gathering enough courage to leave her partner, she sought help from the authorities, but was jailed for seven years for overstaying her visa.

Now aged 57, she has served two years of her sentence and wants to return to Malaysia to see her seven children.

Chargé d'affaires of the Malaysian Embassy in Nepal, Mohd Firdaus Azman, previously told the NST that the Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended that Mala and another Malaysian be released from prison.

He said they were working with the Nepalese Home Ministry to approve the recommendation for the release of the two victims.

He said they were awaiting a meeting with the Minister of the Interior to follow up on the matter.

The Council to Combat Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling said cases involving Malaysians suspected of being victims of human trafficking have been recorded in countries including Myanmar, the Philippines and Peru.

Some of them, once rescued, were convicted of violations of the immigration laws of those countries.

“They were subject to action under the country’s immigration laws before being repatriated to Malaysia.

“Malaysian law, in this context, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, does not apply to other countries, which complicates the actions of the Malaysian government since each country has different laws” , did he declare.

In such cases, the Malaysian government would engage in bilateral or multilateral talks through diplomatic channels with the governments concerned.