Malaysia reopens as virus rips through migrant detention centers

Rights group says warnings about 'perfect hotbeds' went unheeded

A Malaysian health worker helps a migrant worker fill out a declaration form before a COVID-19 test in May. The authorities rounded up undocumented immigrants amid the coronavirus lockdown. © Getty Images

P PREM KUMAR, Nikkei staff writer

June 9, 2020 18:09 JST

KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia's movement restrictions expire on Tuesday, allowing a full-fledged economic restart after a nearly three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus.

But while Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has declared the outbreak "under control," the government has urgent unfinished business: stopping the spread of COVID-19 in detention centers for immigrants without papers.