The government source revealed that the Council of Ministers, in its meeting today, Monday, did not issue any decision regarding the amendment of the partial curfew. The source indicated that the council will assess the results of the ban within two to 3 weeks, through many health and epidemiological indicators, and in light of this, the decision will be taken regarding changing the dates of the ban, whether by increasing them, reducing them or canceling them.

Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) has launched an anti-money laundering and terrorist financing department portal as part of its plan to digitize services.

The ministry said in a statement on Monday that the gateway provides full services, calling upon companies to make their transactions through the digital service. The smart tool audits and analyzes financial data.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian court on Tuesday granted international human rights groups permission to challenge the recent deportation of Myanmar nationals, a major step in a country where the law bars immigration decisions from being questioned in court.

The Malaysian government used three Myanmar navy ships last month to deport 1,086 people it claimed were illegal immigrants. The move came just hours after an interim court order banning the group's removal, pending a legal bid by Amnesty International and Asylum Access to halt the plan..

The ruling by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Tuesday paves the way for a full hearing on the deportations and extends a stay barring the removal of another 114 Myanmar nationals until the end of the judicial review. Malaysia had initially said it would deport 1,200 people.

The groups' legal bid is unlikely to bring those who have already been deported, but could allow similar challenges against future removals, New Sin Yew, a lawyer for the human rights groups, told Reuters.

"It's a very important decision because it recognises the function of non-government organisations like Asylum Access and Amnesty International and their standing in bringing judicial review to hold the authorities accountable," New said, as he detailed the court's decision.

The immigration department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the court ruling.

The court said it will hear the challenge on March 23.

The international rights groups had taken legal action amid fears that people targeted for repatriation included asylum seekers or refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar, where the military seized power last month.

Malaysia's immigration department has said the returned group did not include Rohingya refugees or asylum seekers, but concerns have persisted. The U.N. refugee agency has been denied access to detainees for more than a year to verify their status.

The rights groups in their court filing said three U.N.-registered people and 17 minors with at least one parent in Malaysia were on the deportee list. It was unclear if those individuals were among the group already sent back.

Japan will contribute $19 million in emergency grant aid via international organizations to support Myanmar's Rohingya people who have fled homes in the country's Rakhine State to escape persecution and violence by the military, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Japanese officials said Tokyo will maintain humanitarian assistance to Myanmar even as it condemns the military coup on Feb. 1 that ousted a democratically elected government and saw State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi and other civilian leaders detained.

The grant aid will be used to supply medical and sanitary goods to a total of 58 hospitals and health care facilities in Myanmar and neighboring Bangladesh, where many of the Rohingya have taken refuge, and provide food to a total of 600,000 people in both countries, the ministry said.

The assistance will be delivered via the International Committee of the Red Cross, the World Food Program and the International Organization for Migration, the ministry said.

Since August 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, an ethnic minority group mostly living in Myanmar's Rakhine State, have fled their homes to escape a military crackdown.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya as an ethnic group with rights as citizens. Instead, they are branded as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Japan has been looking to play a "unique role" in efforts to reinstate the democratically elected government in Myanmar, including through the application of pressure on the Myanmar military with which Tokyo maintains connections.

In talks with Myanmar's military-appointed Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin on Monday in Naypyitaw, Japanese Ambassador to Myanmar Ichiro Maruyama called for a halt to all violence by the security forces against protesters, the release of Suu Kyi and others detained, and the early restoration of a democratic government, according to Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

"We're exploring various ways to see what will be most effective in preventing an escalation of violence in Myanmar, which is of the utmost priority as we are ultimately seeking to reinstate a democratic government," Motegi said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Rohingya refugees fear returning to Myanmar (2018) 03:11

Indian police have detained more than 150 Rohingya refugees found living illegally in the northern territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and begun deporting them to Myanmar, two officials said on Sunday.

Dozens of Rohingya, a Muslim minority population, are now in a makeshift holding center at Jammu's Hira Nagar jail. They were identified after local authorities conducted biometric and other tests on hundreds of people to verify their identities.

"The drive is part of an exercise to trace foreigners living in Jammu without valid documents," said one of the two officials, who declined to be named as they are not authorized to speak to the media.

"We have started the process of deportation of these refugees," the official added.

In 2019, the Indian government split the former state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, revoking its former limited autonomy and increasing New Delhi's control over the Muslim-majority region.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government regards the Rohingya as illegal immigrants and a security risk, and has ordered that thousands of them living in scattered settlements be identified and deported.

The Myanmar military has been accused of committing atrocities including mass killings and rape against the Muslim minority population, forcing nearly a million people to flee. Most now live in ramshackle refugee camps on the border with Bangladesh. The UN has recommended that top military officials face genocide charges.

Myanmar denies accusations of genocide and says the army was fighting a legitimate counter-insurgency campaign.

India is home to one of the largest concentrations of Rohingya outside Bangladesh. Rohingyas in the country have said conditions are not conducive for them to return to Myanmar after fleeing violence and persecution over the years.

But India has rejected the United Nations' position that deporting the Rohingya violates the international legal principle of refoulement -- sending refugees back to a place where they face danger.

The Indian government has also argued that India is not signatory to the specific UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, nor the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. A total of 148 countries are signatories to one of these two legal agreements that outline the rights of refugees and are meant to protect them.

The Rohingya living in Jammu said they were concerned about the weekend's detentions and the threat of deportation.

"We will go back when peace returns to our country," said Sufeera, 28. She said her uncle and brother had been sent to the holding center, leaving her alone with her children.

Another refugee, 48-year-old Sadiq, said members of his family had also been detained. "We have been told that we will be deported," he said. "They took mother and father ... Who will take care of them?"

This comes as Myanmar veers deeper into crisis. The military junta, which seized power on February 1, has occupied hospitals and conducted violent raids to consolidate its control of the country. Meanwhile, mass protests against the coup and military rule have continued for weeks on end. More than 54 people have died in crackdowns on protests, including many teenagers and young people, according to the UN.