Myanmar migrants to be deported are pictured inside an immigration truck in Lumut, Malaysia. Photo: CNS The Malaysian Catholic Bishops have decried the deportation of nearly 1,100 Myanmar nationals back to their home country despite a court order banning the move.
The country’s High Court on February 23 granted a temporary stay on the planned deportation of 1,200 Myanmar nationals who have been held in immigration detention centres while a proper judicial review of their case is undertaken.
Immigration authorities ignored the court’s decision and the same day handed 1,086 of the migrants and asylum seekers over to the Myanmar navy, which sent ships to Malaysia to transport them back home.
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia have voiced their opposition to the planned deportation of the Myanmar migrants on humanitarian grounds.
“Guaranteeing personal security to the most vulnerable refugees, migrants and asylum seekers must not only be governed by international laws but also by the laws of humanity, which are grounded on mercy, compassion and love,” the Malaysian bishops said in a statement on February 23.