17 Bangladeshis died in Malaysian detention centres in 2 years: Report

At least 17 Bangladeshis died in Malaysia’s immigration detention centres from various diseases and unknown causes in 2015 and 2016, according to the National Human Rights Commission of Malaysia.

They are part of a total of 118 nationals who died during the same period, reports Reuters after reviewing the immigration centers’ documents provided to the Commission.

The deaths occurred in 2015 were 83 and at least 35 in 2016 up to December 20.

Of the deaths, 63 are Myanmar nationals, 17 are Bangladeshis, 10 are Indonesians, six are Indians and four from Pakistan. Other foreign nationals who died are from Cambodia, Nigeria, Nepal, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Tanzania.

According to officials of Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia, around four lakh of Bangladeshis live in Malaysia and a good percentage of them are undocumented. There are also several thousand students studying in the Southeast Asian country.

Undocumented foreigners are often arrested and put in the immigration centres in Malaysia that recruits Bangladeshis, but the recruitment process has always been marred by allegations of malpractices.

In Reuter’s report, it is unclear whether the death rate is higher than in neighboring countries.

Government officials in Indonesia and Thailand said they do not disclose such numbers.

The rate is higher than in major industrialised nations such as the United States, which in the last financial year recorded 10 deaths in its immigration detention system, which has many more detainees than Malaysia’s.