Malaysia Detains 110 Rohingya Asylum Seekers

Malaysian police detained 110 Rohingya asylum seekers at a UNHCR facility in Kuala Lumpur after the group went there following a reported eviction threat, Amnesty International and authorities said.

The group, including men, women and children, travelled by bus to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees compound early Monday after being threatened with eviction from an informal settlement in northern Penang state the previous day, according to local media reports and UNHCR.

Authorities said police took the group to national police headquarters on Monday night, then moved them on Tuesday to a location in the capital designated by a non-governmental organisation.

Amnesty International's Malaysia branch said Malaysia could not build a credible refugee protection system while treating refugees as people to be rounded up, detained and removed. It said refugees and asylum seekers should be treated with dignity and in line with their human rights.

UNHCR said it supported dialogue among stakeholders to find longer-term solutions to Malaysia's refugee challenges.

Malaysia hosts more than 215,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR, including more than 126,000 Rohingya. The Rohingya, Myanmar's mostly Muslim persecuted minority, are Malaysia's largest refugee community.

Malaysia has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not formally recognise refugee status. According to UNHCR, this leaves Rohingya people in Malaysia exposed to arrest, detention and deportation, and with limited access to work, schooling and healthcare.