More than 30 undocumented Myanmar nationals arrested in Malaysia

Malaysia On April 26, more than 30 undocumented Burmese workers were arrested in Johor state, according to organizations helping migrant workers in Malaysia.

A person who helps Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia told RFA that the area where the majority of Burmese live was raided at about 1:30 in the morning on April 26th in the name of Operation Operasi.

"Many Burmese people joined. It comes with environmental protection. All the ethnicities of Myanmar were there. About thirty were arrested. Most of the Burmese entered the shelter. If all the other citizens were arrested, there must have been over a hundred."

A Burmese citizen who arrived in Malaysia said that Burmese were among those arrested, but the exact number was not yet known.

Family members of those who were arrested said that Malaysian authorities arrested people who came to Malaysia from Myanmar with visit visas this month and sent them back to Myanmar.

According to the statistics of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Malaysia as of the end of February 2024, among the nearly 190,000 applicants for political asylum, more than 160,000 are Myanmar nationals.

Burmese organizations in Malaysia have said that there are a total of 300,000 Myanmar nationals currently in Malaysia.