Malaysia deports over 1,000 migrants to Myanmar

MALA SIAN authorities have deported 1,0 migrants to Myanmar, defying a court ruling that ordered a temporary halt to the planned repatriations.

The Immigration Department said on Tuesday that the migrants, who had been held in detention centres after being accused of entering the country illegally, had voluntarily boarded three Myanmar navy ships.

Earlier the High Court ordered that the planned deportation of 1,200 migrants be halted until at least 10 am (0200 GMT) on Wednesday, pending a review.

The review was in response to an application filed by Amnesty International Malaysia and Asylum Access Malaysia, who said in a joint statement that the migrants face “life threatening risks” in Myanmar, where the army recently seized power in a coup.

According to the review application, several refugees or asylum seekers were among the migrants facing deportation, along with 17 minors with at least one parent in Malaysia. The Immigration Department said on Tuesday that those sent back to Myanmar “do not involve Rohingya ethnicity or asylum seekers.” Around 100,000 Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority from western Myanmar that the UN views as having been subjected toattempted genocide, have ed to Malaysia. Hundreds of thousands more have ed to Bangladesh.

Relatively wealthy Malaysia hosts millions of migrants from neighbouring countries, including Myanmar. Many work in factories and on plantations. The Immmigration Department said that deportations have been stalled by the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has seen most Asian countries keep their borders largely closed since March last year.

The department said it will “continue to seek approval of involving countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Bangladesh and others to bring home their citizens.”