Alarming Death Toll Reveals Crisis in Malaysian Detention System
A disturbing pattern of deaths has emerged from Malaysian detention centers, with more than 300 migrants without legal status dying while in custody since 2020. This shocking statistic has triggered renewed concern among human rights advocates who are demanding immediate reforms to detention conditions and treatment of vulnerable groups fleeing violence and persecution.
Tragic Case Highlights Systemic Failures
The human cost of this crisis is embodied in the tragic story of Ben Za Min, a 32-year-old construction worker from Myanmar's Chin state. According to New York Times reports, he died in late September after being detained during an immigration raid in northern Malaysia. Having fled Myanmar following the military coup nearly five years ago, he was awaiting a decision on his refugee status while working in construction.
His family reveals that a minor cut on his lower right leg became infected and turned septic. Despite being taken to a hospital for initial treatment, he was returned to detention before being admitted again shortly before his death. His sister, Lin, expressed her conviction that he was denied proper medical care, stating: "I think they dismissed him as someone without documentation and treated him with no respect."
Malaysia's home affairs ministry has maintained silence, failing to respond to questions regarding his death or the broader death toll inside detention centers.
Intensified Enforcement Amid Government Crackdown
The situation has worsened as Malaysia tightened immigration controls this year amid rising illegal entries. The government has declared 2025 as "the year of enforcement", leading to increased raids in workplaces and migrant communities.
Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail declared in May that the government "will not compromise" in tackling illegal immigration. This hardline approach has resulted in arrests surging to approximately 7,000 migrants per month, more than double the figures from recent years, according to data from Fortify Rights.
While Malaysia doesn't offer political asylum, undocumented migrants can live and work if recognized as refugees by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). However, activists report that even some registered refugees have been detained. UNHCR has recorded over 211,000 refugees in the country, with most originating from Myanmar.
Overcrowding and Medical Neglect Widespread
Rights organizations are sounding alarms about detainees being held for extended periods in severely overcrowded facilities characterized by poor sanitation, limited food supplies, and insufficient medical attention.
"Detainees face severe torture, both physical and psychological," revealed Yap Lay Sheng of Fortify Rights. "Many are held for prolonged periods in overcrowded facilities with filthy sanitation, poor ventilation, inadequate access to clean water, food and medical care."
Many detainees belong to the Rohingya Muslim community, who escaped what the United States and other nations have recognized as genocide by Myanmar's military. Being stateless and unable to return home, they often face indefinite detention.
Malaysia's immigration department has denied allegations of mistreatment and overcrowding, claiming its 20 detention centers operate at roughly 90 percent capacity. Officials attribute prolonged detentions to lack of travel documents or refusal by home countries to accept returnees.
Since 2019, UNHCR has faced restrictions from visiting most detention centers, severely limiting its ability to identify refugees or inspect conditions. The department counters that access remains possible through an application process, noting two visits occurred last year.
Families Demand Answers and Accountability
Advocates argue that Malaysia's current policies are endangering people fleeing violence, including military defectors and civilians escaping the civil war in Myanmar, where conflict has now entered its fifth year.
"It's a very inhumane policy to lock up people who should be getting refugee status," stated Ramachelvam Manimuthu, president of Malaysia's National Human Rights Society. "There are heartbreaking stories: people who are sick in detention centers, people who have died in detention centers."
For families like Ben Za Min's, answers remain elusive. His relatives in Myanmar still don't know when or how his injury occurred. A hospital reported his cause of death as septic shock, leaving his family with more questions than closure about the circumstances surrounding his final days in custody.
