Malaysia under fire at UN over migrants

Malaysia was urged to improve its treatment of asylum seekers and refugees during a United Nations review of its human rights record, a procedure that is put in motion once every four years. Because the legislation does not distinguish between irregular migrants and asylum seekers or refugees, many end up in detention centres. 

The report of the High Commissioner on Human Rights noted the lack of national legislation on refugees as well as absence of laws on the rights of migrant workers. Access to education for their children is reported another major issue.

But according to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia only prosecutes refugees who have committed a crime. Foreign workers are accorded the same rights as local workers, and the rights of illegal immigrants are protected, he added.

The report comes as an embarrassment to the Malaysian government. Indeed, human rights groups have accused the country of mistreating millions of migrant workers and asylum seekers, including those coming from neighboring Burma. Human Rights Watch had singled out a government-backed volunteer force in Malaysia known as RELA for allegedly beating, threatening and extorting money from them.