COMMENT | I am deeply alarmed by the surge of online hate speech and disinformation targeting the Rohingya community in Malaysia, and by how rapidly that hatred has translated into real harm on the ground.

Just this week, 27 Rohingya men and women were laid to rest in Pokok Sena, Kedah. They were among a group that also included children among the dead. They had drowned months ago when their boat capsized near Langkawi as they attempted to reach our shores.

They paid the ultimate price simply for seeking safety. Their plight is real. It is not a social media narrative. It is a matter of life and death.

The current wave of hostility fuelled by fabricated social media posts falsely claiming Rohingya refugees are demanding citizenship or special rights has spilt dangerously beyond online spaces.

Refugee communities are living in...