Malaysia trying to track down 2,000 Rohingyas
- Malaysia has 900 cases in all, the highest in Southeast Asia
Malaysian authorities are trying to track down an estimated 2,000 Rohingya who attended a Muslim religious gathering that led to a spike in coronavirus cases across Southeast Asia, a security source and two other people familiar with the matter said.
More than 100,000 Rohingya live in Malaysia after fleeing from Myanmar, but they are considered illegal immigrants.
Their status would likely make many of them reluctant to identify themselves to get tested for the coronavirus even if they showed symptoms, other sources in the Rohingya community said.
Malaysia's search for the Rohingya highlights the challenge for governments trying to track the virus among communities living without official papers and wary of authorities.
The religious gathering late last month at a mosque on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur was attended by some 16,000 people, including the Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, one source said.
As well as the Rohingya and other refugees and undocumented migrants, about 1,500 Muslims from across Asia attended.
More than 670 coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia have been linked to the gathering, including 576 in Malaysia, 61 in Brunei, 22 in Cambodia, five in Singapore, seven in Thailand, and one each in Vietnam and the Philippines.
Malaysia has 900 coronavirus cases in all, the highest in Southeast Asia.
Malaysian authorities have been tracking down the participants but say they have been unable to find about 4,000 of them.
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