Malaysia Detains More Than 100 Rohingya Who Sought Shelter Outside UNHCR Amid Rise In Online Hate

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian authorities detained more than 100 Rohingya Muslim asylum seekers on Monday after they gathered outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in the capital, saying they had come to seek protection following recent evictions from their homes.

Rohingya refugees gather in front of the office of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) after being evicted from their homes, at Kuala Lumpur Malaysia July 27, 2026. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain

Witnesses told Reuters that the group — which included women and children — were loaded with their belongings into four police trucks at about 8:30 p.m. local time (1230 GMT) and taken to Kuala Lumpur police headquarters for further checks. A police official who declined to be named confirmed they were being transported for processing.

Rohingya refugees gather in front of the office of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) after being evicted from their homes, at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 27, 2026. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain

The refugees said they had been driven out of their homes by local residents in the northern state of Penang on Sunday and travelled overnight by bus to the capital to request resettlement assistance from the UNHCR.

A woman attends children as Rohingya refugees gather in front of the office of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) after being evicted from their homes, at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 27, 2026. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain

Concerns Over Online Hate And Community Impact

Rights groups and the UN agency have linked the evictions to a surge in online hate speech, misinformation and dehumanising narratives targeting Rohingya since May, warning that such content can translate into harassment, discrimination and school closures affecting Rohingya children.

Rohingya refugees gather in front of the office of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) after being evicted from their homes, at Kuala Lumpur Malaysia July 27, 2026. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain

"No one has the right to take over any part of the city," Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a video posted on social media, adding that immigration authorities would detain anyone without proper permits.

One refugee, Syed Kasim, said he arrived at the UNHCR office in the early hours with his wife and children but received no assistance. "Nobody helped (with) our problem, nobody understands," he said, adding he had lived in Malaysia for 20 years.

The UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The agency has previously expressed alarm at rising online hate speech and disinformation targeting Rohingya and other refugees for fueling offline harassment and discrimination.

Context

Although Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country and has long been seen as a refuge for Rohingya fleeing persecution in primarily Buddhist Myanmar, it is not a signatory to the U.N. Refugee Convention and treats asylum seekers as illegal migrants. Attitudes toward Rohingya hardened during the COVID-19 pandemic, when some accused them of spreading the virus, disrespecting local norms and competing for jobs.

According to UNHCR figures, around 126,000 Rohingya were registered with the agency in Malaysia as of the end of February, though rights groups say many more remain undocumented.

(Reporting by Danial Azhar and Rozanna Latiff; editing and compilation by the author.)