Overview
- Hundreds of Rohingya who were evicted in northern Penang traveled to the UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur and more than 100 were detained by authorities after gathering outside the agency, Reuters and other outlets reported on Monday.
- The UN refugee agency said it worked with Malaysian authorities to verify documentation and arrange transfers to alternative accommodation in response to the detentions.
- Police confirmed that 109 Rohingya were released from Kuala Lumpur police headquarters and sent to locations in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang after their papers were reviewed, according to a Reuters update on Wednesday.
- Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have publicly pressed for joint screening with UNHCR and suggested the government could reconsider allowing the agency to operate in Malaysia if tighter document controls are not put in place.
- Malaysia is not party to the 1951 U.N. refugee convention, treats asylum seekers as illegal migrants, and rights groups warn that rising online hate speech and misinformation are increasing harassment and heightening the refugees' vulnerability.