At least 24 refugees die in Malaysia's immigration detention centers

The UN Refugee Agency announced that at least 24 refugees and asylum seekers have died in Malaysia's immigration detention centers since 2015. Life in filthy, overcrowded cells, where basic needs such as food, water, and medical care are not met, has created conditions that the Malaysian National Human Rights Commission describes as 'torture.' Twelve recently released refugees told the British newspaper The Guardian that they all witnessed at least one inmate die from illness or physical abuse. An 18-year-old refugee who was imprisoned in 'Blantik' for over a year stated that guards only visited the cells when an inmate died, and that prisoners were beaten if they complained about conditions or requested to be sent to the hospital. Among the 24 confirmed deaths by the UN, all but two were from Myanmar. UN officials say this data is from only one of the 17 immigration detention centers in Malaysia. Previously, between 2014 and 2016, reports indicated that 161 refugees died from 'various diseases' in Malaysia's refugee detention centers, nearly half of whom were also from Myanmar. Officials state that 90% of the refugee population in Malaysia consists of Myanmar nationals. Last December, amid ongoing violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar, a UN official accused the government of that country of attempting 'ethnic cleansing.' According to John McKissick, the UN Refugee Agency representative in Bangladesh, about 300,000 members of the Rohingya ethnic minority fled their homes to Bangladesh following a military assault in November. In an interview with the BBC last December, Mr. McKissick also stated that Myanmar's military was engaged in 'killing men' of this minority group, 'slaughtering children,' 'raping women,' and 'burning their homes,' forcing them to cross rivers to reach Bangladesh. Despite this, Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar, denied the 'ethnic cleansing' of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar. After the UN Human Rights Council agreed to investigate allegations of sexual violence, murder, and torture by the Myanmar military, Ms. Suu Kyi stated in an interview with the BBC that 'ethnic cleansing' is an 'excessively strong' term for the situation in Myanmar. Myanmar was under military rule for nearly half a century from 1962 to 2011. Ms. Suu Kyi was under house arrest for 15 years during this period. Finally, last year, after 15 years, the first free elections were held in Myanmar, and the National League for Democracy, led by Ms. Suu Kyi, was able to secure a majority in the country's parliament.