By Erin Cook
April 28, 2020
Rohingya refugees in Malaysia face a double-pronged disaster: a pandemic and a populist turn against the vulnerable community.
This article is free: The Diplomat has removed paywall restrictions on our coverage of the COVID–19 crisis.
In Malaysia, the Rohingya refugee community is dealing with a double-pronged disaster. As is true for everyone, the pandemic has fundamentally upset daily life and fears of both infection and the loss of income permeate. And now the community must also contend with a sudden turn in support from wider society.
Initially, this turn was linked to would-be boat arrivals of refugees entering Malaysian waters in recent months, but it has escalated dramatically online after potentially faked comments from a self-styled community leader created a deep division.