Spokespeople for Amnesty International Malaysia, Fortify Rights, and North South Initiative said these workers were still reeling from the effects of the initial lockdown and were in dire need of government protection.
Katrina Jorene Maliamauv, executive director of Amnesty, told FMT the government needed to engage with migrants to minimise the spread of Covid-19 among them.
She noted that all economic sectors in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya were meant to remain open. “Given the spike in cases in these areas, what protection is there for all workers, including migrants, to prevent infection at workplaces?”
Maliamauv said Amnesty was concerned the CMCO could be used to justify raids and deportations.
“Authorities should deploy measures to protect people against Covid-19 regardless of their identity or immigration status, including those in detention, irregular migrants and the country’s thousands of stateless people.”
John Quinley, human rights specialist at Fortify Rights, noted that refugees in Malaysia did not have access to economic stimulus packages and said they were often left to fend for themselves.
“The government should work with civil society to meet the needs of migrant communities,” he said.
He also said that many migrants struggled with housing during the first CMCO and were likely to do so again.
“They will require tailored protections to address their needs, including access to food and the ability to pay for accommodation,” he said.
North South Initiative director Adrian Pereira said the migrant community “still hasn’t recovered from all the labour abuses and the loss of jobs” caused by the initial MCO and CMCO periods.
“This time, I think things will be worse” since new job cuts and revenue losses would “compound an already precarious situation”, he said.
He said companies were becoming more desperate to cut costs to recoup losses and they might “step up forced labour practices”.
Alleging that there were companies who used the MCO and first CMCO periods to violate labour laws, he urged officials to “put on their hazmat suits, go into the factories and keep inspecting”.
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