On 4 June, Malaysia recorded 277 COVID-19 cases—the highest daily figure recorded since the start of the outbreak. 270 of these cases involved foreigners detained at the Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Depot, which has a reported capacity of 1,500 people.
Previously, on 25 May, the country’s Director General for Health Noor Hisham Abdullah announced that there were 172 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which 159 were foreigners, including 112 cases in three of the country’s immigration detention facilities (in Sepang, Bukit Jalil, and Semenyih). Subsequently, Ministry of Health authorities announced that they would undertake measures to contain the outbreak at Bukit Jalil Immigration Detention Depot, including disinfecting the site, and ensuring that people housed there practice social distancing and wash their hands frequently.
According to one report, detainees who test positive are sent to one of three quarantine and treatment centres, including an agricultural exhibition space that state media has reported is “under heavy guard.”
In total, there have been 608 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from immigration detention centres, including two that have recovered. Human rights groups and the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia have criticised the government’s round-up of migrants (including Rohingya refugees), its failure to erect a firewall between immigration control and healthcare services, as well as its continued policies of detention of foreigners. Preethi Bhardwaj, interim executive director of Amnesty International Malaysia told Al Jazeera: “[Detainees’] health and lives have been put at risk.”
- A. Ananthalakshmi, “More than 100 die in Malaysian immigration detention camps in two years,” Reuters, 30 March 2017, https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-malaysia-detention-deaths-exclusive/more-than-100-die-in-malaysian-immigration-detention-camps-in-two-years-idUKKBN1710GT
- BenarNews, “COVID-19 Cluster at Malaysia Immigration Detention Center Includes 17 From Myanmar,” Radio Free Asia, 21 May 2020, https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/malaysia-coronavirus-05212020181111.html
- J. Bunyan, “Malaysia’s new Covid-19 cases spike today, with 270 patients from Immigration detention centre,” Malay Mail, 4 June 2020, https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/06/04/malaysia-records-277-new-covid-19-cases-only-four-locals-infected/1872470#.XtjZp7isOU4.twitter
- E. Fishbein and J.T. Hkawng, “Immigration detention centres become Malaysia coronavirus hotspot,” Al Jazeera, 2 June 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/immigration-detention-centres-malaysia-coronavirus-hotspot-200602004727890.html
- Malaysiakini, “277 new Covid-19 cases, including 6 Malaysians,” 4 June 2020, https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/528738
- Undocumented Migrants are Handcuffed Together as they are Escorted to an Immigration Detention Centre after a Raid on May 20 in an Area of Petaling Jaya, (Hasnoor Hussain, Al Jazeera, “Immigration detention centres become Malaysia coronavirus hotspot,” Al-Jazeera, 2 June 2020, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/immigration-detention-centres-malaysia-coronavirus-hotspot-200602004727890.html)
