Rohingya man missing from quarantine centre in Tanjung Rambutan

THE MALAYSIA INSIGHT
1 Jun 2020

POLICE are searching for a Rohingya man who reportedly escaped from a quarantine centre at the Health Ministry’s Malaysia’s Training Institute in Tanjung Rambutan yesterday. Ipoh district police chief A. Asmadi Abdul Aziz said Rohim Mohd Zokoria, 27, was found missing when a ministry staffer was monitoring those quarantined at block E-2-83 of the facility at about 11am

 

Link :https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/250243

Rohingya in Malaysia, doubly trapped

the interpreter
JJ ROSE
27 May 2020

Panics have a way of seeking out victims, and the Rohingya
in Malaysia have been easy targets during the pandemic.

For some people living in the Ampang district in eastern Kuala Lumpur, self-isolation is nothing new. The area is known for its concentration of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, nestled in the grimy apartments and neighbourhoods of this former tin mining centre, and they haven't been going out for a while. The Rohingya are generally tolerated here, but here as elsewhere across the country, they are denied any real rights or protection from authorities, abuse, rape and kidnapping.

Police deny Rohingya and MPS enforcement team clash in Selayang

THE EDGE MARKETS
Bernama / Bernama
May 15, 2020

 KUALA LUMPUR (May 14): Police have denied that there was an altercation between a group of Rohingya refugees and Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) personnel at the Selayang Wholesale Market.

Gombak District police chief ACP Arifai Tarawe said police did not receive any report on the incident which was said to have been caught on camera and shared on social media.

 

Malaysia urged to end violent threats against Rohingya refugees

Aljazeera
11' May 2020

Rights groups call on Malaysia to act after prominent Rohingya activists threatened with murder and sexual violence.

This handout photo taken and released on April 5, 2020 by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency shows a wooden boat carrying suspected Rohingya migrants detained in Malaysian territorial waters off the island of Langkawi. [Handout via AFP]

Dozens of human rights groups have called on Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to address hate speech and violent threats against Rohingya refugees in the country amid a slew of online posts threatening murder and sexual violence.

Monday's open letter, signed by 83 organisations, said the surge in hateful messages attacking the Rohingya community was causing fear of physical violence and discrimination among the refugees.

Hate speech is un-Malaysian

FMT
Raees Ahmed
May 10, 2020

As a Canadian with strong ties to the Malaysian community, I am appalled to see hate speech and anti-refugee sentiments unfolding in Malaysia today.

The anger against the Rohingya has roots

THE Star 
Saturday, 02 May 2020
WONG CHUN WAI

A boat with some 202 Rohingya people onboard arrived in Langkawi. -filepic

HE calls himself “Long Tiger” and has carved himself out a reputation as the most infamous Rohingya on social media, but a series of critical Facebook posts against Malaysians, particularly Malay-Muslims, has landed him in trouble.

There was an uproar against the 31-year-old man over his rants. His identity has been revealed, and with his list of criminal offences, it is perhaps only fitting that seeking fame on social media led to his real-life infamy being exposed.

Malaysia detains hundreds of Rohingya and migrants despite health risks

The Washington Post 
Miriam Berger
May 2, 2020

Rohingya refugees stand in line to get food April 15 in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. (Shafiqur Rahman/AP) 

 

Malaysia has rounded up and detained hundreds of undocumented migrants in what authorities said was part of an effort to maintain movement restrictions in the country and contain the coronavirus outbreak.

Human rights groups, however, criticized the arrests, which have included Rohingya refugees and children, and subsequent detentions, as the coronavirus spreads easily in such places as detention centers.

Malaysia cites Covid-19 for rounding up hundreds of migrants

The Guardian
Kaamil Ahmed and agencies
Sat 2 May 2020

In move condemned by UN, refugees including Rohingya detained amid rise in xenophobia 

Rohingya refugees wearing protective masks practise distancing while waiting to receive goods from volunteers in Kuala Lumpur. Photograph: Lim Huey Teng/Reuters 

Malaysian authorities have rounded up and detained hundreds of undocumented migrants, including Rohingya refugees, as part of efforts to contain coronavirus, officials said.

Authorities said 586 undocumented migrants were arrested in a raid in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Friday. Armed police walked people through the city in a single file to a detention building, according to activists. The UN said the move could push vulnerable groups into hiding and prevent them from seeking treatment.

Rohingya face rising hostility in Malaysia

THESTRAITSTIMES

May 2, 2020,
Nadirah H. Rodzi
Malaysia Correspondent In Kuala Lumpur

Rohingya refugees in protective masks keeping a safe distance while waiting to receive goods from volunteers, during the ongoing movement control order, in Kuala Lumpur early last month. Malaysia had opened up its borders in 2017 to provide temporary shelter for the Rohingya "boat people" as they fled the Myanmar military crackdown. PHOTO: REUTERS

Mr Alam Syofik came to Malaysia two years ago in the hope of a better life after fleeing a brutal military crackdown against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state in Myanmar in 2017.

But the safe haven for the Rohingya that Malaysia once seemed to offer has turned into hell for him and his peers, as hostility against them has reached new heights amid fears over the coronavirus pandemic that has afflicted poor migrant communities and sparked xenophobia.

‘DAP-linked people’ behind anti-Rohingya messages, says deputy minister

FMT
FMT Reporters
May 1, 2020

Deputy Federal Territories Minister Edmund Santhara.

PETALING JAYA: Deputy Federal Territories Minister Edmund Santhara has blamed “DAP-linked netizens” for the recent rise in hate speech and xenophobic messages targeting the Rohingya community amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

Speaking to Malaysiakini and KiniTV, Santhara said his analysis of “all the social media (messages)” found that the hate speech and xenophobic messages were “sponsored by politically motivated groups”.

“Why did I say (these groups) are politically motivated? You can see that the people who are talking about it were originating from the DAP side,” the Segamat MP was quoted as saying.

Dr M: Don't hate the Rohingyas

NEWSTRAITSTIMES 
Veena Babulal -
April 29, 2020

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said driving the Rohingyas away from our shores and forcing them to spend up to two months at sea is inhumane. --File pic via BERNAMA

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Driving the Rohingyas away from our shores and forcing them to spend up to two months at sea is inhumane, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

"What we should have done instead was to supply them with food and fuel so they can go to other countries or return to Myanmar," he said in a posting on his blog today.

Mufti-turned-minister urged to rein in Rohingya haters after shocking video

FMT
Nicholas Chung
April 29, 2020

 Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri.

 

PETALING JAYA: A human rights activist is banking on religious affairs minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri to put a stop to hateful comments targeting the Rohingya refugee community in Malaysia, after a shocking video showing one such refugee being verbally abused by a local man.

Afiq Noor, who is attached to rights group Lawyers for Liberty, said Zulkifli, the former federal territories mufti, must come out with a strong stand for the Rohingya.

Continue to show support to Rohingya

NEWSTRAITSTIMES
April 30, 2020
JASON LOH SEONG WEI
EMIR RESEARCH 

It is heartening to note that within our country, the Rohingya community continue to receive the attention and help from the government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). -NSTP File 

LETTERS: The denial of entry to a boat containing two to four hundred or more Rohingya refugees on April 16, off the coast of Langkawi, and a statement by the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) that voiced concerned over "their poor settlements and living conditions... will bring Covid-19 into the country" were the initial catalysts for a spate of xenophobic and unprecedented attacks on the Rohingya on social media.

Once embraced by Malaysians, Rohingya now fear attacks with a rise in xenophobia

THE STRAITSTIMES
Nadirah H. Rodzi
Malaysia Correspondent

Rohingya refugees receive goods from volunteers in Kuala Lumpur on April 7, 2020.PHOTO: REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR - Alam Syofik came to Malaysia two years ago in the hope of a better life after fleeing a brutal military crackdown against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state in Myanmar in 2017.

But the safe haven for the Rohingya that Malaysia once seemed to offer has turned into hell for him and his peers, as hostility against them has reached new heights amid fears over the coronavirus pandemic that has afflicted poor migrant communities and xenophobia.

Rohingya quest for safety and survival — Abu Ahmed Farid

malaymail
Thursday, 30 Apr 2020

APRIL 30 — The Rohingya is an indigenous Muslim community in Arakan (renamed by the military as Rakhine state in 1974). Despite of being peace-loving and law-abiding people, they are not tolerated in Buddhist Burma/Myanmar.

They are oppressed and persecuted beyond one’s imagination based on their ethnicity, religion and appearance. This was done in order to rid Arakan of the Muslim population.

“The United Nations has described them as the world’s most persecuted minority in most danger of extinction.”

And UN Human Right Chief Zeid Ra‘ad al-Hussein said “The situation seems like a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”

Home minister: Malaysia sent Rohingya boat away with food as borders closed due to Covid-19

malaymail 

Thursday, 30 Apr 2020 BY IDA LIM

A boat carrying suspected ethnic Rohingya migrants is seen detained in Malaysian territorial waters, in Langkawi April 5, 2020. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — Malaysian authorities turned away a boat with ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar only after providing them with food to continue their journey elsewhere, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said today.

Hamzah was referring to a recent news report of the Royal Malaysian Navy intercepting a boat carrying about 200 Rohingya that was spotted 70 nautical miles away from Langkawi, with the crew of a navy ship providing food to them on humanitarian grounds before ensuring the boat left the country’s waters.

Solidarity with Rohingya — Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK

malaymail
Tuesday, 28 Apr 2020

APRIL 28 — The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (Brouk) is deeply concerned about growing online hate speech directed towards Rohingya refugees living in Malaysia. We appeal to the Malaysian government to condemn hateful comments against the Rohingya, to hold those responsible to account and to stand in solidarity and compassion with refugees.

Brouk furthermore wishes to express its deep gratitude towards the Malaysian authorities and Malaysian people for hosting tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees for decades, and for their strong political support for the Rohingya in the face of the ongoing genocide in Myanmar.

Rohingyas in Malaysia Face a Pandemic and a Possible Populist Backlash

THE I DIPLOMAT 
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.

Dr M: Stop trading with Myanmar over Rohingya abuse

malaymail

Wednesday, 29 Apr 2020
BY YISWAREE PALANSAMY

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today called for a rejection of trade with Myanmar over its cruelty towards its Rohingya community. — Picture by Hari Anggara

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — Malaysia has already accepted too many Rohingya refugees and other nations must do their part to address the crisis, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

On his blog, Dr Mahathir also called for a rejection of trade with Myanmar over its cruelty towards its Rohingya community.

Don’t fear speaking up for Rohingya, says Anwar

FMT
FMT Reporters
April 27, 2020

PETALING JAYA: Rohingya refugees who arrive in Malaysia could be accommodated at special and controlled areas, while Malaysia draws up plans to send them to another country, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim suggested today.

Speaking in a video broadcast over Facebook, Anwar urged political leaders and elders to speak up about the Rohingya problem and not fear a backlash.