Amnesty International on Tuesday expressed concern after Malaysian authorities detained more than 100 Rohingya asylum seekers who had sought refuge at the United Nations refugee agency's office in Kuala Lumpur.

The group, comprising men, women and children, travelled by bus to the compound of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) early Monday after reportedly being threatened with eviction from their informal settlement in the northern state of Penang a day earlier. The information was confirmed by UNHCR and local media, according to AFP.

Malaysian police rounded up 110 Rohingya asylum seekers on Monday night and transported them by truck to the national police headquarters. On Tuesday, authorities said the detainees were transferred to a location designated by a non-governmental organisation elsewhere in the capital.

Amnesty International Malaysia criticised the operation, saying the country's treatment of refugees was inconsistent with efforts to establish a credible protection system.

"Malaysia cannot build a credible refugee protection system while simultaneously treating refugees as people to be rounded up, detained, and removed," the rights group said in a statement.

The incident has renewed concerns over the treatment of Rohingya refugees in Malaysia, which hosts a large population of asylum seekers but is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. As a result, refugees and asylum seekers have no formal legal status and remain vulnerable to detention and deportation.

The latest detentions come amid growing uncertainty for Rohingya communities in Malaysia, many of whom continue to face challenges accessing legal protection, employment and basic services while awaiting durable solutions.

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