HUMAN rights groups have slammed Putrajaya over the arrest of hundreds of undocumented migrants for breach of the enhanced movement control order (EMCO).

Many have said the raids in Masjid India and Menara City One were “shocking, ill advised, abusive, a violation of human rights and the persecution of an already marginalised community”.

Worse, they said the move could torpedo the country’s fight to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Immigration Department’s decision to carry out the raids couldn’t have come at a worse time, the Migrant Workers Right to Redress Coalition said in demanding a stop to the raids.

It said a key factor in containing the spread of the virus was co-operation from the people to come forward if they have any symptoms.

The civil society group said for the more than 4 million undocumented migrants – migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers – in the country to come forward if they have symptoms of the infection is already a risky affair.

It said that even with assurances from some branches of government that there will be no enforcement action on those coming forward for testing, migrants have remained fearful.

“Yesterday’s action will only further deter the larger undocumented migrant community from playing a positive role in stemming the virus.”

Lawyers for Liberty, which is also demanding the government place an immediate moratorium on the raids and detentions, pending the struggle against the scourge of Covid 19, said the action “sent a chilling message to the millions of other undocumented migrants that they will be detained if they come forward for treatment with Covid-19 symptoms or if they come out to be tested”.

“Our priority must surely be to get rid of Covid-19 from our communities. How is this to be achieved if the millions of undocumented workers in Malaysia become too afraid to co-operate in tackling the disease?” group adviser N. Surendran asked.

He said Putrajaya should learn the lessons from Singapore on how widely the virus could have spread in migrant communities.

“Viewed from the prism of the fight against Covid-19, there appears to be no discernible logic to these arrests,” he said.

He added that with the mass detentions in the middle of a pandemic, “there is now the real risk of new Covid-19 clusters appearing in immigration detention centres or police lock-ups”.

“Crowded detention centres would be a perfect breeding ground for the virus.”

Amnesty International Malaysia’s Interim Executive Director, Preethi Bhardwaj, has also joined in the call on the Malaysian government to “immediately end its attack on refugees and migrant workers and treat all people with dignity and respect”.

Bhardwaj said during a global public health crisis, detention solely for migration-related reasons is unjustifiable.

“The authorities must urgently release those detained and focus on combatting the Covid-19 pandemic instead of using it as an excuse to further violate the rights of vulnerable communities.”

Echoing Surendran’s comments, Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director of Human Rights Watch said Putrajaya “seems foolishly intent on repeating the mistakes of Singapore by concentrating migrants together in a way that will ensure a massive spread of Covid-19”.

“What is equally foolish is these raids send a signal to all remaining migrant workers in Malaysia to not co-operate with the MCO or other quarantine measures because they will be sitting ducks for arrest if they do,” Robertson said.

He had even harsher criticisms for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Alluding to the Rohingya hate campaign online, Robertson said Muhyiddin and the Home Minister “appear committed to promoting a policy of fear and xenophobia that transfers the anger of the Malaysian public on to foreigners, who cannot defend themselves”.

“This is not surprising, given that Muhyiddin wants to avoid taking any responsibility for the rapid spread of Covid-19 throughout Malaysia, which occurred while he was too busy playing politics in March to see the crisis brewing right under his nose.”

Robertson said the government should release the over 700 migrants arrested yesterday, provide them with a Covid-19 test and support if they are found to be positive, and cease any further raids on migrants and refugees. – May 2, 2020.