PIE willing to give loans to refugees

PIE willing to give loans to refugees

PETALING JAYA: Touched by the plight of Myanmar beggars, Partners In Enterprise (PIE) has offered to give loans to help start small businesses, provided the Government issues them temporary business licences.

PIE executive director Edmund Ng said his organisation had helped some 700 poor Malaysian families to start up small businesses over the past 14 years.

“Likewise, we can also help the refugees, provided the Government is willing to offer them temporary business licences.

“Without the licence, the refugees will be subjected to enforcement raids from the authorities, including the police and Rela,” he said.

Ng said PIE had offered such financing to the refugees and their efforts backfired after authorities raided their businesses and seized their belongings.

When this happened, he said, it was impossible for the organisation to recover the loans given to them.

Ng said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had recently sought the organisation’s assistance to help Myanmar refugees.

“They have very high self-esteem and do not want to be looked down by society.

“The refugees are very enterprising and I am sure they have a lot of ideas on the types of businesses that are appropriate for them,” he said, adding that the financing was interest-free.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/9/nation/6019717&sec=nation