Coronavirus Malaysia: lockdown leaves migrants isolated; indigenous ‘heading back to the forests’

Malaysia’s most vulnerable groups have been hit the hardest by measures meant to stem the spread of the coronavirus

NGOs are struggling to reach communities who are scared of the police, while some Orang Asli tribesmen say they will self isolate and live off the land

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Members of Malaysia's indigenous tribes known as the Orang Asli. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:58pm, 4 Apr 2020Updated: 10:58pm, 4 Apr 2020

Just 15 minutes’ drive from the centre of Malaysia’s capital, high-rise condominiums give way to yellow- and cream-coloured blocks of cramped flats, home to a mix of senior citizens and low-income workers.

At the Lembah Subang housing project, domestic violence activist Farah Hanim, who sells home-made food for a living, also sits on the residents’ committee – and for the last three weeks, she has had to pay close attention to her neighbours amid the country’s four-week coronavirus lockdown.

With all residents told to stay indoors, schools shut and only essential services operating, the food stall owners and monthly-wage workers who live in the federal housing complex have had nothing to do. It has been worse for the single mothers and families with many children, said Farah.

“The cramped, close quarters – some units are home to eight or nine people – and loss of income has also given rise to an increase in crime and domestic violence,” she said.

When the Malaysian government first announced a lockdown to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has killed more than 50 people in the country and infected more than 3,300, it promised financial backing for people who lost their jobs. But this was insufficient – only enough for 80 people, said Farah, 38.