PETALING JAYA: An international human rights watchdog has voiced concern over Putrajaya’s move to push back overloaded boats of Rohingya refugees to sea, stating the move is risking lives.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy director for Asia Phil Robertson said Putrajaya could find a more appropriate response to the Covid-19 pandemic without blocking seaborne asylum seekers.
On April 16, the Malaysian navy intercepted a boat with about 200 Rohingya refugees off the coast of Malaysia and prevented it from entering Malaysian waters.
Robertson said the previous day, Bangladesh coast guard officials had intercepted another boatload of refugees that survivors said had been turned away from Malaysian waters almost two months earlier.
A total of 382 starving Rohingya refugees were taken off the boat and survivors reported that at least 30 people on board had died before the rescue, he said.
Bangladeshi officials cordoned off the place where they landed for fear they could be infected with Covid-19.
Robertson, in a statement, said that the Covid-19 pandemic does not create justification for risking the lives of refugees on “overcrowded boats”.
He added the Malaysian military sought to justify its actions by claiming that those on the boat could bring Covid-19 into the country, and that it had provided food before asking the boats to turn away on April 16.
Malaysia has issued a movement control order since March 18 that bans foreigners from entering the country and restricts travel.
Robertson said subjecting those who arrive to isolation or quarantine may be a more reasonable move.
“The pandemic does not justify a blanket policy of turning away boats in distress, risking the right to life of those on board.
“Malaysia’s pushback policy also violates international obligations to provide access to asylum and not to return anyone to a place where they would face a risk of torture or other ill-treatment,” he added.
The watchdog urged for systems that ensure fundamental human rights obligations coexist alongside public health measures.
“Because of the high risk of transmission of the virus in detention facilities, the authorities should use alternatives to detention as much as possible,” he added.
More than 740,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh after ethnic and religious violence in Myanmar in 2017, with thousands paying smugglers to help them reach other countries, including Malaysia. - FMT
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.