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KUALA LUMPUR (REUTERS) – Malaysian authorities are detaining undocumented immigrants as part of efforts to stem the spread of the coronavirus, authorities said, after hundreds of migrants and refugees were detained in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.
Authorities said 586 undocumented immigrants were arrested during a raid Friday (April 1) in a downtown area where many foreigners live, a move the United Nations said could push vulnerable groups underground and prevent them from seeking treatment. .
The detainees included young children and ethnic Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, human rights groups said.
Police said the operation aimed to prevent undocumented immigrants from traveling to other areas amid movement restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the virus outbreak, state news agency Bernama reported.
The United Nations urged Malaysia to avoid detaining migrants and releasing all children and their caregivers, warning that overcrowded detention centers carry a high risk of increasing the spread of the virus.
“Fear of arrest and detention can lead these vulnerable population groups to hide further and prevent them from seeking treatment, with negative consequences for their own health and creating additional risks for the spread of Covid-19 to others,” said the UN in a statement.
The arrests followed public anger in recent days over the presence of migrant foreigners, particularly Rohingya refugees, and some in Malaysia accused them of spreading the coronavirus and being a burden on state resources.
Malaysia has around 2 million registered foreign workers, but authorities estimate that many more live in the Southeast Asian country without the proper documents.
Malaysia does not formally recognize refugees, regarding them as illegal immigrants.
Security Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob refuted criticism of the arrests, saying that all the detainees had been examined and found to be negative for Covid-19.
They would be sent to immigration detention centers to await further measures, he told reporters on Saturday.
“Even though the migrants lived under lockdown, their presence here is still illegal,” said Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri.
“There is no cruelty problem towards these migrants, as they have been well cared for … but the law must still take action against them.”
The neighborhood where the raid took place was near an area with three buildings that had been under strict blockades last month after an increase in coronavirus cases there.
About 9,000 people live in the buildings, most of whom are foreign citizens, and 235 of them have tested positive for COVID-19, the government said.
Malaysia reported 105 new cases of coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 6,176.
The total number of deaths remained at 103, unchanged from Friday.
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin also announced partial relief from the six-week restrictions that have caused a damaging economic slowdown, with most companies expected to reopen starting Monday.
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