Rohingya refugees face grim future in Malaysia

Zafar Ahmad Mohd Abdul Ghani writes an open letter to the prime minister to highlight the Rohingya refugees’ bleak future and uncertainty in Malaysia.

A group of Rohingya migrants sit on a beach while being processed by Thai authorities – Source: dailymail.co.uk images released by CNN

The situation of the Rohingya refugees in this country has remained the same since 2006, when the Malaysian government took the initiative to register them for a IMM 13 visa, which would allow them access to employment and education. The registration exercise was terminated after two weeks on grounds of corruption and has never resumed since.

They are still a stateless people as the situation in Arakan State, Myanmar has not improved despite the overt gestures of the Myanmar government to stop the ‘ethnic-cleansing’ there. People are still fleeing and many are arriving in Malaysia as asylum seekers and refugees, but are seen as “illegal immigrants” in this country as refugees are still not recognised by Malaysia.

Malaysia has sent humanitarian aid to Rakhine State (Arakan State) but has taken no steps to recognise refugees in this country or allow any refugee the basic rights for survival i.e. right to employment, education and proper access to medical treatment and health care. The UNHCR cannot provide everything and many civil society groups are trying to help by providing basic facilities that the government can easily provide if it wants to. Refugees within our borders are the government’s responsibility and they should be afforded the same basic non-derogable rights as everyone else.

The following appeal letter is from Zafar Ahmad, head of the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation, Malaysia (Merhrom) to the PM.

20 Januari 2013

Y.A.B. Dato’ Sri Mohd. Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak
Perdana Menteri
Pejabat Perdana Menteri
Bangunan Perdana Putra
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan
62502 Putrajaya

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