Malaysia Detains over 100 Rohingya Refugees Seeking Shelter at UN Agency
Anwar Ibrahim ordered immigration and police action as more than 100 Rohingya asylum seekers were detained after gathering for UNHCR help.
- On Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ordered enforcement agencies to detain more than 100 Rohingya Muslim asylum seekers gathered outside the UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur, saying those without proper permits would be detained.
- Hundreds of Rohingya refugees were allegedly evicted from homes in Penang on Sunday and traveled to the capital seeking assistance, amid a rise in online hate speech and misinformation targeting the ethnic community.
- Syed Kasim, a refugee who has lived in Malaysia for 20 years, said the group received no assistance upon arrival: "Nobody helped our problem, nobody understands." Malaysia hosts around 126,000 registered Rohingya Muslims, though many remain undocumented.
- All refugees outside the UNHCR were removed in four police trucks around 8:30 p.m. Monday, with Anwar declaring, "No one has the right to take over any part of the city."
- While Malaysia is not a signatory to the U.N. refugee convention, the UNHCR expressed concern that dehumanizing narratives could fuel offline harassment and discrimination against the community.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Rohingya refugees detained in Malaysia
Malaysian authorities detained more than 100 Rohingya asylum seekers on Monday in Kuala Lumpur, after the group had been evicted from their settlement in the coastal state of Penang. The asylum-seekers had made the journey from Penang, more than 200 miles northwest of Kuala Lumpur, to the office of the UN High Commission for Refugees in the capital city. Reports say the group consisted of 113 refugees –110 of them Rohingya – some of whom, at lea…
The Japan Times
Malaysia detains over 100 Rohingya refugees seeking shelter at UNHCR
The refugees said they were driven out of their homes by local residents in the northern state of Penang and had traveled to Kuala Lumpur to seek assistance from the U.N. agency.
Channel News Asia
Ada DeranaMalaysia detains over 100 Rohingya refugees seeking shelter at UN agency
Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday the gathering outside the UNHCR building had raised concerns from the public, and warned that anyone without proper permits would be detained by immigration authorities.
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