As part of the government’s efforts to contain coronavirus, Malaysian authorities have rounded up and detained hundreds of undocumented migrants
According to reports, 586 undocumented migrants, including Rohingya refugees and children, were arrested in raids in the capital, Kuala Lumpur on May 1. In Malaysia, a country that does not officially recognise refugees, the Rohingya are considered illegal immigrants and as such they do not have the ability as a group to present demands to that country’s government or assert basic human rights. According to the state news agency, Bernama, the raids were carried out in order to prevent undocumented migrants from travelling to other areas of the country in violation of orders restricting movement in a bid to prevent community spread of coronavirus.
Activists and human rights organisations have accused the Malaysian government of stoking xenophobia during the pandemic with citizens and politicians implausibly linking the spread of the virus to Rohingya communities. There are fears that the detention of the migrants could jeopardise their health as conditions in overcrowded detention centres may contribute to the spread of the disease. Rounding up the migrants may also drive them into hiding which could have a detrimental effect on the overall management of the disease as many Rohingya may be afraid of seeking treatment.
The UN has urged the Malaysian government to rethink its policy and to release all children who have been detained.
