.
Malaysia deports Myanmar refugees, defying court order
- font size decrease font size
increase font size
File Photo
LUMUT, 24 February, 2021 (TON): On Tuesday, despite a court order halting the repatriation more than 1,000 Myanmar detainees deported back to their homeland just weeks after a coup,
The migrants, whom activists say include vulnerable asylum seekers, departed on three Myanmar navy ships from a Malaysian military base after arriving on packed trucks and buses under police escort.
The plan was being criticized by the United States, the United Nations and rights groups while hours before the deportation a Kuala Lumpur court ordered it be temporarily halted to allow a legal challenge.
The vessels later set sail carrying 1,086 detainees, with authorities giving no explanation as to why the court order had been ignored. However, the activists were set to argue it should not go ahead as Malaysia would breach its international duties by deporting vulnerable people, and the Myanmar military's seizure of power put them at even greater risk.
Leave a comment
Make sure you enter all the required information, indicated by an asterisk (*). HTML code is not allowed.
