Malaysia deports 1,086 migrants to Myanmar despite court order

Malaysian immigration chief offered assurances no members of the persecuted Rohingya minority or asylum seekers had been deported

Hours before the repatriation, a Kuala Lumpur court ordered it should be temporarily halted to allow activists to present a legal challenge

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An immigration truck believed to be carrying Myanmar migrants is seen heading towards the naval base in Lumut, Malaysia, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:40am, 23 Feb 2021Updated: 7:55pm, 23 Feb 2021

Malaysia on Tuesday deported over 1,000 Myanmar detainees back to their homeland just weeks after a coup, despite a court order halting the repatriation and a storm of criticism from rights groups.

The migrants were ferried on buses and trucks to a military base on Malaysia’s west coast where three Myanmar navy ships had docked.

The United States and the United Nations had criticised the plan, while rights groups said there were asylum seekers among the group.

An immigration truck carrying Myanmar migrants is seen heading towards the naval base in Lumut, Malaysia, on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Hours before the deportation, a Kuala Lumpur court ordered it should be temporarily halted to allow activists to present a legal challenge.

They argued it should not go ahead as Malaysia would breach its international duties if it deported vulnerable people, and that the Myanmar military’s seizure of power meant they were at even greater risk.

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