Malaysia deports Bangladeshi man over Al Jazeera documentary on migrant workers

Mohammad Rayhan Kabir was arrested in July, after Al Jazeera ran a documentary on Malaysia’s treatment of migrant workers during the coronavirus pandemic

Malaysia arrested hundreds of undocumented foreigners, including children and Rohingya refugees, after imposing a lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19

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Migrant workers seen inside a locked down area in Kuala Lumpur on May 15, 2020. File photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 1:56pm, 22 Aug 2020Updated: 1:56pm, 22 Aug 2020

Malaysia has deported a Bangladeshi worker who criticised the government’s treatment of migrants during the coronavirus pandemic in a documentary made by broadcaster Al Jazeera, the country’s director general of immigration confirmed on Saturday.

Mohammad Rayhan Kabir, 25, was deported to Bangladesh late on Friday, said Khairul Dzaimee Daud. He did not respond to further queries on why Rayhan was deported.

Accompanied by immigration officers, Rayhan was seen waving and giving a thumbs up to reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Friday night, state media outlet Bernama reported.

Malaysia arrested Rayhan and blacklisted him from entering the country last month, after Al Jazeera’s July 3 documentary sparked a backlash in the Southeast Asia nation.

At that time, Qatar-based Al Jazeera said it was disturbing Rayhan had been arrested “for choosing to speak up about some of the experiences of the voiceless and the vulnerable”.

Undocumented migrants sit during a raid in Petaling Jaya near Kuala Lumpur on August 20, 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE