Activists repeat call on govt to reassure migrants after scores vanish fearing arrests

More than 100 workers went into ‘hiding’ after Covid-19 tests were carried out on them yesterday, possibly due to fears of being arrested by immigration authorities.

PETALING JAYA: A migrant rights activist has urged Putrajaya to allay foreign workers’ fear of detention and deportation after more than 100 went into hiding following Covid-19 tests carried out on them.

Some of the foreigners fled from a quarantine centre in Kuala Lumpur.

North-South Initiative director Adrian Pereira said the government had no choice but to guarantee their safety and security in order to encourage them to be tested and traced.

He told FMT that failing to do so would put Malaysians at risk of catching the virus.

Referring to recent raids that resulted in the detention of hundreds of foreigners, he said: “NGOs have been advising the government from Day 1 not to conduct enforcement raids as it will backfire on everyone’s health.

“The government must drop all enforcement operations and guarantee the safety of all workers.”

FMT reported yesterday that 145 workers had escaped from the Pavilion Embassy construction site, which was placed under a targeted enhanced movement control order after 28 labourers tested positive for Covid-19.

In another development, Kuala Lumpur police said they were tracking six Indonesian and three Bangladeshi workers who fled a Covid-19 quarantine centre yesterday.

Bangkok-based activist John Quinley III of Fortify Rights told FMT the reports of migrants fleeing detention did not surprise him after last week’s raids at Jalan Masjid India.

He urged Putrajaya to build trust with migrant and refugee communities, saying the war against Covid-19 had made this necessary.

“Malaysia should uphold everyone’s right to health,” he said. “The reality is that previous actions against migrant workers have made them fearful of authorities.

“Malaysia should stop its detention policy without delay.”

Pereira proposed that the government offer unconditional amnesty or a rehiring procedure for undocumented migrants once the movement control order ends.

He said the rehiring process must not be conducted through middlemen, warning of the likelihood of profiteering.

He said those wishing to return to their home countries should be assured safe passage, adding that this could be achieved with the cooperation of the relevant embassies. - FMT