Preference for ethnic Malays in the Malaysian government policy is listed as among human rights breaches by the United States State Department.

It said this in the US Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015, which was released by US Secretary of State John Kerry today.

"According to the government, these policies were necessary to attain ethnic harmony and political stability.

"Despite the government’s stated goal of poverty alleviation, these race-based policies were not subject to upper income limitations and contributed to a widening economic disparity within the bumiputra community.

"Ethnic Indian citizens, who similarly to ethnic Chinese citizens do not receive such privileges, remained among the country’s poorest groups," the report states.

It also named persecution of dissenters, and the jailing of PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy in February 2015, as among the abuses.

“Of particular concern were police intimidation; sedition and illegal assembly investigations; charges against dozens of activists, lawyers, and opposition politicians; and the politically-motivated prosecution and jailing of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim,” the report states.

'Little independent monitoring of police'

The State Department noted that anti-Semitism "is a serious problem across the political spectrum".

Government-owned newspapers and statements by current and former political officeholders sometimes blamed civil society activity on "Jewish plots" or "Jewish conspiracies".

"In June, a member of the cabinet and secretary-general of Umno claimed an online independent news outlet was part of a Jewish conspiracy against his party," it said.

There are between 100 and 200 Jewish persons living in Malaysia, it estimated.

It also notes that there is little independent monitoring of police, including in death or abuse in custody cases.

It notes that NGOs and the media are not allowed to monitor prison conditions, and that regular access is allowed to the Red Cross and National Human Rights Committee (Suhakam) on a case-by-case basis.

Access is also provided to the United National refugee agency UNHCR, but not in a timely fashion.

In May, UNHCR representatives said immigration officials unduly delayed access to newly-arrived Rohingya refugees at the Belantik detention facility in Kedah, it said.

Other human rights breaches include:

Ban on religious groups, restrictions on proselytisation and freedom to change religions;

Detentions without trial;

Caning as a form of punishment;

Corruption among officials;

Violence and discrimination against women;

Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community;

Restriction of rights of migrants, including refugees and victims of human trafficking; and

Restriction on union and collective bargaining activity.

Read the full report below: