At least two asylum-seeking children were separated from their families and deported to Myanmar as part of the group of 1,086 who were repatriated earlier this week, the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) said today.
"The APRRN received confirmation that at least two asylum-seeking children were deported back to Myanmar, along with the 1,086 who were separated from their families.
"The Malaysian government did not just defy a serious High Court order but has advertently placed lives in imminent danger," the APRRN said in a statement on Twitter.
The APRRN, in a joint statement with the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights and the International Detention Coalition, strongly urged the Malaysian government to grant the UNHCR immediate and unfettered access to Malaysian immigration detention facilities.
"We further urge the government to investigate the deportation on Feb 23 of the 1,086 individuals to Myanmar, in defiance of the Kuala Lumpur High Court's interim stay order," the groups said.
Initially, it had been announced that 1,200 Myanmar nationals would be deported back to a country that is experiencing bitter strife. This after the democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy was overthrown by a military coup earlier this month.
Eventually, 1,086 Myanmar nationals were sent back on three Myanmar naval ships.
According to Immigration Department director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud, all those who were sent home had agreed to return voluntarily without any coercion.
"The Malaysian government has yet to provide information on the remaining 114 persons or their whereabouts. Immigration officials asserted that the 1,086 deported did not include Rohingya refugees or asylum seekers.
"However, there is a substantial risk that the group included refugees and asylum seekers, including unaccompanied children," APRRN said.
The High Court order was initially issued at 1.20pm on Feb 23, with the handover having already commenced at 7.30am earlier the same day, claimed lawyer Ahmad Hanir Hambaly who represented the Immigration Department in the High Court hearing.
The interim stay order followed an application by Amnesty International Malaysia and Asylum Access Malaysia. The two rights groups had details of three asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR and 17 minors with at least one parent still in Malaysia in the group to be deported.
In the run-up to the deportation, a number of civil society groups had urged the government and the Immigration Department to reconsider their move.
On Feb 13, Research Centre for the Advancement of the Community and Housing (Reach) coordinator Iskandar Abdul Samad called for a cautious approach on the deportation, saying there were serious concerns over the safety of the Rohingyas facing threats of ethnic violence in Myanmar.
On Feb 20, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told Reuters at least six people registered with it are believed to be on the deportation list.
On Feb 21, Pakatan Harapan leaders said they were worried that Malaysia was making a grave mistake in possibly sending back political refugees to a terrible fate under Myanmar's new military dictatorship.
PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng asked the Malaysian government to reconsider its decision, saying it would legitimise the Myanmar military junta.
They added that it was irresponsible to repatriate refugees back to a conflict zone so soon after a civil-military confrontation, which could put their safety at risk. - Mkini
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