MALAYSIA UNDER FIRE AFTER MYANMAR NATIONAL'S DEPORTATION

  • 24/02/2021

Malaysia's government faced mounting criticism from opposition MPs and rights groups on Wednesday over its decision to deport over 1,000 Myanmar nationals in defiance of a court order.The migrants, whom activists say include vulnerable asylum seekers, departed on Tuesday on Myanmar navy ships from a Malaysian military base back to their homeland, just weeks after a coup.

Rights groups had fiercely criticised the plan, and hours before the deportation, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered it be temporarily halted to allow a legal challenge from activists.But officials pushed ahead regardless, repatriating 1,086 migrants and offering no explanation as to why the court's instructions were ignored.
In a joint statement, four opposition lawmakers condemned the 'inhumane' deportation and suggested government officials could be held in contempt for ignoring the legal ruling.

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