Rohingya Women Development Network
Rohingya: Malaysia urged to end raids, detention amid COVID-19
Rohingya Women Development Network (RWDN) and Fortify Rights on Tuesday said the government of Malaysia should end arbitrary arrests and detention of refugees and migrants.
RWDN and Fortify Rights interviewed 13 Rohingya refugees in Malaysia who described the ongoing risk of arrest and the effects of restrictions on movement and access to livelihoods.
“Malaysia should stop arresting and detaining all refugees,” said Sharifah Shakirah, founder and Director of RWDN in Malaysia.
“Instead, the government should provide basic protections to refugees and migrants during this global crisis to prevent the spread of the virus.”
On June 14, the Malaysian Health Ministry reported that a 67-year-old man from India died on June 12 from COVID-19 at the Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Center (IDC), located outside of the capital, Kuala Lumpur. The ministry reports at least 735 cases of COVID-19 in IDCs across Malaysia.
On June 14, Health Director-General Datuk Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah reported the death during a press briefing, saying: "He was found unconscious at the center . . . He was confirmed dead on Friday [June 12] and a COVID-19 test returned positive.”
During an earlier press briefing on May 26, Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah acknowledged the IDCs as “high-risk areas” for the spread of COVID-19.