Malaysia routinely detains foreigners without valid permits to
remain in the country, including asylum seekers. It is home to
millions of undocumented migrants and over 100,000 Rohingya
refugees.
Its detention centres are crowded and unhygienic, and detainees
have inadequate access to food, water and healthcare, according
to activists and Reuters' interviews with former detainees.
In a written reply this week to a question in parliament,
Malaysia's home minister, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, said seven
children and 25 women were among those who died in detention
last year.
He did not disclose the cause of deaths or the number of
migrants held in detention. Last July, Malaysia said there were
17,703 foreigners in its detention facilities.
"The fact that so many foreigners, including children, die in
immigration custody is a scathing indictment of Malaysia's
failure to treat those they are holding as human beings who have
rights," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human
Rights Watch.
Undocumented foreigners are typically detained for long periods
while awaiting deportation, while refugees and asylum seekers
who do not want to return home are held indefinitely.
Malaysia does not recognise refugees, and gives few rights to
those given protection by the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR).
The UNHCR has been denied access to detention centres since
August 2019, hampering efforts to release and resettle asylum
seekers.
Amnesty International said restricted access and a lack of
independent monitoring was fostering harm, and called for a
transparent investigation into the deaths.
"It is the responsibility of the government to act openly and
with urgency," it said.
Malaysia's home ministry and immigration department, which runs
the detention centres, did not respond to requests for comment.
Malaysia has increasingly come under scrutiny for its treatment
of migrants.
In 2020, it arrested thousands of undocumented foreigners during
the pandemic in what authorities said were efforts to prevent
the coronavirus spread. It has also deported asylum seekers back
to Myanmar, drawing criticism.
(Reporting by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Martin Petty)
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