Shafaqna English- The Malaysian government deported nearly 1,500 Rohingya refugees as part of its plan to return at least 5,000 refugees under an agreement with Myanmar’s military government. This decision has raised concerns among the tens of thousands of other Myanmar refugees living in the country, who fear for their safety.
The deportation was carried out during escalating raids on refugee communities by immigration officials, which have led to the detention of more than 50,000 Rohingya refugees this year alone. Those working with refugees in Malaysia said the frequency of the raids has increased since June, when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the repatriation agreement with Myanmar.
“[We’ve seen] a sharp increase. Raids are happening every single day. There’s up to 50 raids or more happening every day,” said Heidy Quah, founder and executive director of the Malaysian nonprofit Refuge for the Refugees.
Minister of Home Affairs Saifuddin Nasution told local media that the government has conducted more than 9,700 such operations from the beginning of this year until September 17. That’s an average of 37 operations a day.
Sources: AlJazeera