Coronavirus: Malaysia looking for 2,000 Rohingya after mosque outbreak

The religious gathering late last month at a mosque on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur was attended by some 16,000 people

Malaysia’s search for the Rohingya highlights the challenge for governments trying to track the virus among communities living without official papers

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A security officer checks the tempature of a visitor inside a closed shopping centre in Malaysia on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

Published: 3:46pm, 19 Mar 2020Updated: 3:53pm, 19 Mar 2020

Malaysian authorities are scrambling to track down about 2,000 Rohingya men who attended a Muslim religious gathering that has led to a big spike in coronavirus cases across Southeast Asia, according to a security source and two other people.

More than 100,000 Rohingya live in Malaysia after fleeing from Myanmar, but they are considered illegal immigrants. Their status would likely make many of them reluctant to identify themselves to get tested for the coronavirus even if they showed symptoms, other sources, in the Rohingya community, said.

Malaysia’s search for the Rohingya highlights the challenge for governments trying to track the virus among communities living without official papers and wary of authorities.

The religious gathering late last month at a mosque on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur was attended by some 16,000 people, including the Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, one source said.

A crowd pictured inside Seri Petaling Mosque in Kuala Lumpur on February 29. Photo: Reuters

As well as the Rohingya, about 1,500 Muslims from across Asia attended.

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