So says Nur Sadek, a Rohingya refugee and community organiser who arrived in the country from Myanmar nearly five years ago. “I DON’T WANT to go out any more. I stay home most of the time, I want to leave Malaysia so badly. Mr Sadek shares messages from strangers threatening him with violence, some naming places where he can be found. One stranger sent him a video showing a rifle being fired.
The police recently held over 100 Rohingya refugees who had travelled to UN offices in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, following a reported eviction. On July 29th Malaysia announced plans to send some 5,000 Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar, where their lives may be at risk.
In June and July at least nine informal schools teaching Rohingya children in Malaysia were closed, either by authorities (for being unlicensed) or by staff who had grown concerned about their safety; one teacher says he has told children not to walk in groups. Anand Raj, president of the Malaysian bar, warns that such deportations are “neither humane nor a viable option”. The online vitriol has real-world impacts. Malaysia’s government now routinely turns away or detains Rohingyas’ boats.
