‘#SayNoToRohingya’: a critical study on Malaysians’ amplified resentment towards Rohingya refugees on Twitter during the 2020 COVID-19 crisis

Abstract

This article investigates how resentment among Malaysians towards Rohingya refugees become amplified on social media during the COVID-19 crisis. The focus of this article is the public discourse of Malaysians on Twitter, regarding Rohingya refugee issues. Through a qualitative content analysis of Tweets from Malaysian users during the country’s Movement Control Order, this article argues that the cause of Malaysians’ grievances was due to the citizens’ echo chambering of implicit insecurities. A deeper problem was also rooted in the nation where the distinction between refugees and undocumented migrants does not exist, and the inconsistencies of government policies towards refugees.