Malaysia detains over 100 Rohingya asylum seekers outside UNHCR office

Malaysian authorities detained more than 100 Rohingya Muslim asylum seekers yesterday after they gathered outside the office of the United Nations refugee agency in Kuala Lumpur. The group had been evicted from their settlement in the northern state of Penang.

Details of the Detention

According to the New Straits Times, the group was transferred in four police vehicles from outside the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office at around 8:20 p.m., along with "luggage and personal belongings."

Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus confirmed that 113 refugees, including 110 Rohingya, were being held at police headquarters. He stated that checks conducted during the documentation process found that all the Rohingya refugees possessed valid UNHCR documents.

Background of the Displacement

The refugees told Reuters they had traveled to the UNHCR office after being driven out of their homes by local residents in Penang on Sunday, and were seeking advice on resettlement.

However, Penang police said the Rohingya had "voluntarily moved" to Kuala Lumpur with the assistance of state and federal authorities.

Government Response

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday that he had directed police and immigration authorities to "take firm action" against the refugees in order "to control the situation and ensure public peace is maintained." In an accompanying video, he stated, "No one has the right to take over any part of the city."

Rising Public Hostility

The incident occurs amid increasing popular hostility and online hate speech toward Rohingya refugees in Malaysia:

• Last month, more than half a million people signed a Change.org petition calling for the removal of Rohingya refugees from Malaysia, following an outraged online response to cows being slaughtered by Rohingya refugees for the festival of Eid al-Adha.
• Prominent public figures have described the Rohingya as "criminals" and "intruders," likening them to a "cancer" on the country.
• Social media posts have encouraged violence against the Rohingya or urged users to report their locations to authorities.

Broader Context

Rohingya asylum seekers have arrived in Malaysia steadily over the past two decades, particularly since 2017, when an ethnic cleansing campaign by the Myanmar military pushed more than 740,000 from Rakhine State into Bangladesh. Around 126,000 Rohingya are currently registered with UNHCR, more than half of the total refugee population in Malaysia.

However, Malaysia does not recognize the Rohingya as refugees and has tightened enforcement of immigration laws against them in recent years.

Last week, Malaysia ordered UNHCR to temporarily stop registering new refugees in the country as it begins operating its own system for managing asylum-seekers. The system, known as DPP, is set to apply much more stringent criteria than UNHCR regarding who can be granted refugee status.

Impact on Rohingya Communities

According to Reuters, the online hate campaign has led to growing government scrutiny of Rohingya communities, prompting investigations, raids, and the closure of Rohingya-linked schools and businesses. At least nine Rohingya schools have been forced to shut nationwide, many due to rising harassment and abuse, including of children.

The Penang Eviction

The group detained outside the UNHCR office had been forced to leave their settlement in the village of Kuala Muda in Penang on Sunday. The New Straits Times reported that around 500 Rohingya vacated the village "peacefully," "after villagers, authorities and members of the refugee community honored a month-long agreement to relocate."

While the community "rarely caused problems," the arrival of around 25 Rohingya a few months ago prompted villagers to intervene.

"This transfer was carried out due to economic and territorial competition that arose following an increase in the Rohingya population in the area," Seberang Perai Utara district police chief Anuar Abdul Rahman said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

Local officials said there were "no riots, arguments, or violence" during the Rohingyas' departure. However, one journalist posted on X that Kuala Muda had subsequently declared itself a "Rohingya-free area."

Parallels with Myanmar

As Alex Howlett reported for The Diplomat, the online hate campaign against the Rohingya has centered on narratives similar to those that accompanied their expulsion from Rakhine State in Myanmar—in particular, the toxic notion that Rohingya families reproduce at a far faster rate than Malaysian families. Another parallel is the accusation that big social media companies have failed to curb hate speech targeting the community.