Attachments
Key Updates
• Afghans continue facing threats of detention and deportation: Afghans in Iran, Türkiye, and Tajikistan continued facing increasing threats of detention and deportation this quarter, as well as alleged violence at the hands of state officials.
• Worsened situation for Rohingya refugees in Rakhine, Myanmar and Cox’s Bazar Bangladesh leads to a surge in movements: The number of Rohingya embarking on maritime journeys more than doubled in 2024 compared to 2023. This quarter, six boats arrived in Indonesia and one in Sri Lanka, while another was pushed back twice by members of the local Indonesian community.
• Stricter refugee policies in India: Refugees from Myanmar face tightening measures in India. In Manipur, the state government set a deadline of December 10 for refugees to return to Myanmar, while families with children received an extension until March 2025. Meanwhile, in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities have cracked down on five landlords renting to Rohingya refugees and have cut off water and power supplies to refugee households.
• Crackdown on undocumented migrants in Malaysia and Thailand: As Malaysia’s amnesty program for undocumented migrants nears its December 31 deadline, authorities have intensified enforcement measures, with nearly 1,000 Myanmar nationals detained in December alone. Similarly in Thailand, country-wide crackdown since June 5, has resulted in 256,213 arrests as of the last quarter, including 193,430 Myanmar nationals.
• Australia’s strengthened border enforcement and anti-migration laws: Australia has intensified border enforcement in the Northern Territory, responding to irregular arrivals of four individuals on Croker Island and eight individuals in Arnhem Land. Offshore detention continues to place significant hardships on asylum seekers in Nauru and Papua New Guinea, with inadequate weekly allowances for basic needs. Additionally, new migration laws passed in November expand offshore detention, grant more power to the immigration minister, and introduce stricter detention measures, including the ability to confiscate phones.