DEMOCRACY-FREEDOM | REFUGEES: KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia- NGOs obtain interim stay to stop deportation of Myanmar refugees
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KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court here allowed the applications of two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for an interim stay to stop the Malaysian government from repatriating 1,200 Myanmar refugees scheduled to be sent back today.
When contacted by reporters, lawyer New Sin Yew, representing both NGOs, said Judge Datuk Seri Mariana Yahya allowed the ex-parte applications of Asylum Access Berhad and Aimal Sdn Bhd pending their application for a judicial review to be heard by the same judge tomorrow.
He said the judge granted the stay during online proceedings today which was also participated by Senior Federal Counsel Ahmad Hanir Hambaly.
Yesterday, the two NGOs filed a judicial review for an order to overturn the government’s decision to deport the refugees, including children, being held in the country’s immigration detention centres. They were scheduled to be sent back onboard Myanmar navy ships.
Besides naming the Malaysian government as the third respondent, the two NGOs also named the Immigration director-general and the Home Affairs Ministry as the first and second respondents respectively.
In their application, they claimed that if the refugees were sent back to Myanmar, their lives would be at risk. — Bernama
