Scores of Burmese Nationals Murdered in Malaysia in 2010

17 December 2010 – Kuala Lumpur: Dozens of Burmese nationals including refugees and asylum seekers were murdered in Malaysia since January this year although the exact figure is not yet known.

Many migrant workers and refugees from Burma lost their lives during gang-fights and robbery while some were killed in alcohol-related incidents. It is also sad to note that some of the reported murder cases were committed by Burmese nationals themselves, often under the influence of alcohol.

In early November 2010, a Burmese girl called Zin Mar Win,24, was murdered by her boyfriend out of jealousy. Her body was found in a pool of blood at a link house at Puchong Township, Selangor State. In the same month, another Burmese named Khaw Khaing Soe, 31, was killed by fellow countrymen in Alor Setar, northern part of Malaysia after getting involved in a fight.

In August 2010, a body of Burmese national in his twenties was found blood-bathed with severe head injury on the floor of his house in Shah Alam Township, not far from Kuala Lumpur. The victim, who was known to be sharing house with some friends from Burma, was found dead only after his neighbour noticed bad smell emanating from his house.

In April 2010, a refugee from Burma named Myint Shwe Sava, 40, was murdered and his body was squeezed into a paper box. The body was later dumped at an industrial area in Shah Alam Township. Myint Shwe, father of four and a recycle goods collector, was said to have heavy injury on his head and lost his cash and hand phone. Police believed the victim had been robbed before being killed.

In June 2010, another Burmese refugee who worked in a market in Selayang Township near Kuala Lumpur was murdered on the back lane of a restaurant. He was reportedly having a fight with two fellow countrymen, and his body was later found to be chopped into pieces with hands, head and neck separated.

In March 2010, a Burmese migrant worker working in a vegetable farm at Gua Musang in the eastern part of the country was murdered in a gang-fight with another group of foreign workers from Indonesia. The victim’s body, thrown into a deep cleft in a forest, was later discovered by a local worker who was installing pipelines in the area.

In February 2010, the body of a Burmese national named Zaw Zaw Aung was found half naked at Johor Bahru, a city not far from Singapore. Police believed the victim, who was wearing only a pair of underwears when discovered, was murdered somewhere else before being dumped at the crime scene. Another refugee from Burma called Thang Kee was killed in the same month by his Burmese roommate who was said to have acted insanely under the influence of alcohol in Kuala Lumpur.

In June 2010, Malaysian Police found a naked body of Khin Su Hlaing, 24, in a river near a village at Hulu Yam. Police later detained several suspects following the casualty.

In Malaysia, there are more than 90,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Burma, according to the UNHCR.

By Thomas Chong