MALAYSIA: Migrants’ rights under the pandemic

In Malaysia, state hostility towards migrants and refugees increased under the pandemic, as the government blamed them for spreading the virus while simultaneously creating the conditions that made it easier for them to catch it. The authorities repeatedly turned away boats carrying Rohingya refugees fleeing desperate conditions in Bangladeshi camps, and those who managed to disembark were convicted under the Immigration Act and sentenced to seven months in prison, with many also caned as well under Malaysia’s draconian laws. Migrant workers were left out of support schemes provided for Malaysian citizens. Many migrants were rounded up and confined in overcrowded detention centres, which became a breeding ground for the virus.