Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdulla has officially inaugurated the new unit set up for foreigners at the Hulhumale Detention Centre.
The unit, which has the capacity to house 40 inmates, was developed as part of efforts to expand the services at the Hulhumale' Detention Centre, the detention facility for foreigners awaiting deportation, to ensure that human dignity and rights are ascertained to detainees.
Addressing the inaugural function, Minster Imran said it was a key target of the administration to resolve the issue of illegal immigrants that the country faces. He added the administration shall tackle the issue with attention to international best practices and human rights.
Foreigners awaiting deportation were held at a facility which lacked very basic facilities, according to Maldives Correctional Service. The authority said the problem would be solved when the new unit are in use, which would also separate the detainees from convicts housed in the same facility.
At an average, 63 detainees are housed at the facility on a monthly basis. The aim of the correctional service is to assure that the facility can comfortably house 120 detainees at any given time.