Fear of arrest among undocumented risks Malaysia vaccine push

Distrust among refugee and migrant communities after a year of mixed messages and could hamper efforts to curb a spiralling COVID-19 pandemic.

As it battles a deadly Delta variant-fuelled wave of coronavirus that has seen cases and deaths surge, Malaysia is racing to ensure all adults across the country receive two doses of the vaccine by October. In a bid to speed up the process and achieve herd immunity more quickly, it has recently made efforts to encourage migrants and refugees to come forward for the vaccine. But after a year marred by arrests and outbursts of anti-foreigner rhetoric, some migrants and refugees are wary.