Human rights lawyers and lawmakers have raised concerns about conditions in the Castle Peak Bay Immigration Detention Centre, saying they are worried about the risk of Covid-19 spreading among detainees. The Immigration Department nonetheless stated that the health and safety of staff and detainees is a prime concern and that appropriate measures have been put […]
Asia-Pacific
China Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
China Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from China, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the China Detention Data Profile Related Reading: China: Country Page China: COVID-19 Updates China: International Law […]
Thailand: Covid-19 and Detention
As of 4 May 2020, Thailand had recorded 2,987 cases of Covid-19 and 54 deaths related to the disease. Among those with the infection are immigration detainees. On 25 April, 42 detainees in the Sadoa Immigration Detention Centre tested positive. The Immigration Police Chief told the press that 73 migrant detainees (out of a total […]
China: Covid-19 and Detention
On 11 January 2020, Chinese state media reported the first known death from COVID-19. On 23 January, in the middle of the Lunar New Year holiday and almost overnight, China instituted an internal travel lockdown on people in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei in an effort to contain the domestic spread of the virus. […]
Maldives Immigration Detention Data Profile (2020)
Maldives Detention Data (2020) The latest detention-related data from Maldives, including immigration and detention-related statistics, domestic laws and policies, international law, and institutional indicators. View the Maldives Detention Data Profile Related Reading: Maldives: Country Page Maldives: International Law Maldives: COVID-19 Updates […]
Maldives: Covid-19 and Detention
The Maldives has more than 100,000 migrant workers—comprising almost 25 percent of the islands’ total population. A large number of these migrants are from Bangladesh, and many are undocumented. With numbers of migrants increasing in recent years, authorities have increasingly cracked down on irregular migration, opening a new dedicated detention centre in Hulhamale (outside Malé) […]
Malaysia: Covid-19 and Detention
Refugees and undocumented migrant workers in Malaysia are being targeted as part of a purported anti-Covid-19 campaign, which has included mass arrests and raids across the country since the start of May. According to Al Jazeera, “There has been growing public anger in recent days over the presence of migrant foreigners, with some in Malaysia […]
Bangladesh: Covid-19 and Detention
More than 500 people – including children – have been stranded on two fishing trawlers in the Bay of Bengal, after Bangladesh refused to allow the refugees to come ashore. Last week, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister announced that the boats would not be allowed to dock, adding that in light of the Covid-19 pandemic the country […]
Australia: Covid-19 and Detention
Despite growing calls from a broad range of actors – including civil society, medical professionals, infectious disease experts, Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner, and detainees themselves–the Australian government had still not taken steps to release vulnerable detainees as of late April. The government has acknowledged that those in correctional and detention settings are most at risk. […]
