The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency’s announcement that it will turn away seaworthy refugee vessels from Malaysian shores is "shocking" and "illegal", Lawyers for Liberty said.
MMEA yesterday said it will turn away boats carrying Rohingya and Bangladeshis who have been abandoned by human trafficking syndicates amid a regional crackdown.
This is after authorities confirm that 1,158 refugees have landed on Langkawi shores.
"These boats carrying overcrowded refugees and migrants are typically rickety, wooden trawlers and hardly seaworthy.
"Turning or towing these boats away is as good as signing their death warrant as the occupants are normally starving, dehydrated, sickly and in dire need of immediate assistance," LFL director Eric Paulsen said in a statement.
He said even though Malaysia is not a signatory to the United Nations convention relating to the status of refugees, it is still bound by other conventions protecting the rights of women and children.
There were 105 women and 61 children on board.
Paulsen (photo) said deportation is also "inhumane" considering that the Rohingya are fleeing prosecution in Myanmar.
Malaysia has sovereign rights to protect its borders, but it must first be determine if these boats are carrying people who will undermine this sovereignty, he said.
"In order to assess whether these men, women and children are refugees fleeing persecution, our immigration authorities must grant them immediate access to UNHCR (UN’s refugee agency) so they may seek asylum and have their refugee status determined," he said.
Tip of the iceberg
According to UNHCR, about 25,000 people have departed from the Bay of Bengal in the first quarter in 2015, in hopes of reaching Malaysia by sea.
This suggests the arrival of two boats filled with Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees in Langkawi late May 10 and the wee hours of May 11 the tip of the iceberg.
MMEA said it will turn away vessels considered seaworthy but will make sure to send them provisions before sending them out to sea again.
Indonesia, too, has said that it will turn these refugee boats away.
Malaysian police say they have broken up seven human trafficking rings in March and April, including two police officers.
Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar (photo) said the syndicates operate in northern Malaysia and southern Thailand, and are believed to be falsifying UNHCR documents.
"The illegal immigrants are being detained in Langkawi for further investigation and onward action," he said in a statement.
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