Bangladeshi expatriate Md Rayhan Kabir, arrested for criticizing the Malaysian government over its treatment of undocumented immigrants amid the Covid-19 pandemic, was remanded for 14 days on Saturday to assist in an investigation by the authorities.
Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said Rayhan, 25, was handed over to the police following his arrest in Setapak on Friday evening by the Operations Intelligence Unit of the country’s Immigration Department, reports local news portal tekdeeps.com.
Zainudin said: "Authorities had arrested the man yesterday [Friday], and he was remanded for 14 days to assist in the investigation, starting today [Saturday].”
“We will ensure the investigation is done as best as possible and then take appropriate action,” he told a press conference on Saturday after an event at Perak.
The minister added that his party was taking the matter seriously because it involved the country’s image and dignity, reports tekdeeps.com.
He also stressed that any foreigner living and working in Malaysia must comply with the country’s laws by having valid documents.
Meanwhile, two local lawyers -- Sumitha Shaanthinni Kishna and Selvaraja Chinniah -- were appointed to represent Rayhan, said Shariful Islam, the head of NGO Brac’s Migration Program in Dhaka.
He said they will be able to confirm what charges were brought against him exactly on Monday.
Rayhan found himself in hot water after he criticized the Malaysian authorities in a documentary by Qatar-based news broadcaster Al Jazeera.
The investigative report, titled “Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown,” was aired on July 3, examining the treatment and condition of the undocumented migrants in Malaysia amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Malaysian authorities have accused Rayhan of making false allegations about their handling of such immigrants in face of the coronavirus outbreak.
He has been on the run after police launched the investigation into the documentary saying it was inaccurate and biased.
Following his arrest from a condominium in Jalan Pahang, the country’s Immigration Department Director-general Khairul Dzaimee Daud had said in a statement that the Bangladeshi national would be deported and blacklisted from entering Malaysia forever.
Al Jazeera also released a statement condemning Rayhan’s arrest, saying: “It is disturbing that someone had been detained for speaking up for the voiceless and vulnerable.”
In a video message recorded on July 9, which apparently was published hours before his arrest on Friday, Rayhan said he was unsure under which law he was being sought by the Malaysian authorities.
Expressing his hope that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would watch the video, he said: “I don’t really know for which crime I’m wanted by them.
“I just told the interviewer what I saw and what happened here (in Malaysia).”
The Malaysia government had assured that no undocumented migrant workers would be arrested during lockdown enforced due to the coronavirus outbreak, but since May 1, it started a crackdown on them, he said.
“The development hurt me… So, I just said that what had happened was not fair. If speaking the truth is a crime, I did exactly that,” Rayhan added.
