Judge Mariana Yahya granted leave to Asylum Access Global and Amnesty International Malaysia over their legal challenge to revoke the government’s decision and also to send home another 20 Myanmar nationals, including children.

The decision was delivered online through Zoom today.

The NGOs claimed the decision to deport United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card holders to Myanmar would endanger their lives.

Mariana also extended an injunction against the government from deporting a further 114 Myanmar nationals pending the NGOs’ legal bid. Case management was fixed for March 25.

The Immigration Department repatriated more than 1,000 Myanmar nationals in three Myanmar navy ships from the Lumut naval base in Perak on Feb 23, despite a court order barring them from doing so.

The NGOs were represented by lawyers Ambiga Sreenevasan and Gurdial Singh Nijar, while senior federal counsel Narkunavathy Sundareson, Ahmad Hanir Hambali @ Arwi, Mohd Sabri Othman and M Kogilambigai appeared for the Immigration Department.

Co-counsel New Sin Yew later told reporters Mariana granted leave on grounds that the application was not frivolous and vexatious.

“She held that NGOs play an important role in today’s society to vindicate the rights of the vulnerable,” he said.

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