authorities detained 269 Rohingya asylum seekers whose boat arrived damaged near Langkawi, an island off the coast of northwestern Malaysia. 23 The chief of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency told the media that 70 percent of those refugees “could not walk properly because they had been sitting and squatting for months aboard the boat.” 24 In July 2020, a Malaysian court sentenced 40 Rohingya to seven months in jail for entering the country without a valid immigration pass or permit. 25 Thailand has also refused entry to Rohingya refugees or holds them in indefinite detention. When a group of Rohingya arrived in Thailand by land, crossing from Myanmar on May 20, 2020, Thai authorities arrested at least 12 people and sent them to the Mae Sot immigration detention facility. Approximately 200 to 300 Rohingya are being held in immigration detention and other facilities across Thailand. 26 In February 2021, at least 81 Rohingya were found crammed in a fishing boat that had been drifting in the Andaman Sea after its engine failed on the way to Malaysia. They were suffering severe hunger and dehydration; eight people died. After the refugees sent their GPS location to relatives, the Indian navy and coast guard located the boat and provided food, medical, and technical aid. But the Indian government wanted to send the refugees back to Bangladesh, which refused to accept them. 27 Indian leaders have also threatened to deport an estimate 40,000 Rohingya refugees in the country. Bangladesh authorities say that the crisis is testing their patience. “Has Bangladesh been given the global contract and responsibility to take and rehabilitate all the Rohingya or Watch news release, July 22, 2020, https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/07/22/malaysia-stop-treating-rohingya-refugeescriminals. 23 “Malaysia/Thailand: Allow Rohingya Refugees Ashore,” Human Rights Watch news release, June 12, 2020, https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/12/malaysia/thailand-allow-rohingya-refugees-ashore. 24 Nisha David, Hadi Azmi, and Pimuk Rakkanam, “Rohingya Boat is Off Thailand, Has Been at Sea 4 Months: Malaysia Official,” Benar News, June 10, 2020, https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/malaysian/Rohingya-boats06102020150325.html (accessed April 15, 2021). 25 “Malaysia: Stop Treating Rohingya Refugees as Criminals,” Human Rights Watch news release, July 22, 2020, https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/07/22/malaysia-stop-treating-rohingya-refugees-criminals. 26 “Thailand: Let UN Refugee Agency Screen Rohingya,” Human Rights Watch news release, May 21, 2020, https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/05/21/thailand-let-un-refugee-agency-screen-rohingya. 27 “India: Halt all Forced Returns to Myanmar,” Human Rights Watch news release, March 10, 2021, https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/10/india-halt-all-forced-returns-myanmar. 17 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | JUNE 2021