UNHCR lauds government work scheme for refugees

Win-win for Malaysia’s security and economy, and refugee protection

Kuala Lumpur, 3 February 2017 (UNHCR) - UNHCR welcomes the announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday regarding a pilot project that will allow an initial group of 300 Rohingya refugees to work in the plantation and manufacturing sectors in the country.

UNHCR believes that a scheme that allows genuine refugees the opportunity to work lawfully would have a remarkable and positive impact on their quality of protection.

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It would also help the Government deal with its legitimate concerns about criminality and security, and provide a source of willing labour to support the Malaysian economy.

A scheme that allows refugees to live and work legally in Malaysia would transform the quality and protection of their lives. Greater self-sufficiency among refugee communities would lead to better health and education, and significantly reduce the burden on the host state.

It would also provide a stronger basis for refugees to plan their future, including returning to their home countries with transferrable skills to start their new lives.

UNHCR is convinced that this new approach is a ‘win-win’ for the people of Malaysia for its security and economy, and for refugees who live here temporarily. It is our hope that after an initial pilot phase, this scheme can be expanded to benefit all refugees in the country.

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UNHCR welcomes the cooperation it enjoys with the Government of Malaysia, including through the recent Joint Task Force to tackle the complex challenges of mixed migration and refugees in Malaysia.

http://reliefweb.int

Trump administration to allow 872 refugees into US this week

WASHINGTON: The US government has granted waivers to let 872 refugees into the country this week, despite President Donald Trump’s executive order on Friday temporarily banning entry of refugees from any country, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document seen by Reuters.

A Homeland Security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the waivers, noting that the refugees were considered “in transit” and had already been cleared for resettlement before the ban took effect.

Refugees preparing for resettlement typically have severed personal ties and relinquished their possessions, leaving them particularly vulnerable if their plans to depart are suddenly canceled.

The waivers, granted by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), came amid international protests against Trump’s rushed executive order. Critics said the order in some cases was not clearly communicated to the agencies responsible for implementing it.

It was not known if additional waivers would be granted, the official said. The document did not give the nationalities of the refugees who will be admitted into the United States.



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Over the weekend, non-refugee visitors from seven majority-Muslim countries also targeted in Trump’s executive order were detained, deported and in some cases blocked from boarding flights to the United States.

The countries covered by the traveler ban were Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen.

The internal DHS document said that between late Friday and early Monday 348 visa holders were prevented from boarding US-bound flights. In addition, more than 200 people landed in the United States but were denied entry, the document showed.

More than 735 people were pulled aside for questioning by US Customs and Border Protection officers in airports, including 394 legal permanent US residents holding green cards, over the same time period.

Trump said the executive order he signed on Friday was designed to protect the United States “from foreign terrorist entry.”

The order stopped all refugee admissions for 120 days while government officials determine how to ensure that any refugees admitted do not pose a threat.

The 872 refugees to be admitted this week, under the waivers, were screened using Obama administration procedures, which typically take two years and include several interviews and a background check.

The DHS said on Sunday night that green card holders would be allowed to board US-bound flights, but would be subjected to additional scrutiny upon arrival.



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The public guidance from DHS also said some people from the seven majority-Muslim countries could be allowed entry to the United States on a case-by-case basis.

Congressional Democrats and some foreign countries, including key US allies, put pressure on Trump on Monday over the executive order.

Democratic Senators tried to force a vote on a bill to rescind the order, but were blocked by a Republican lawmaker. Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said she had 27 co-sponsors for the legislation. But under Senate rules it takes only one member to prevent a vote, and Republican Senator Tom Cotton blocked consideration of the measure.

The Democrats’ leader in the US Senate, Chuck Schumer, said he would bring legislation on Monday evening seeking to end the ban, although the measure stood little chance of being passed by the Republican-led Congress. http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com

In report, watchdog says human rights in Malaysia on downward trend

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — The human rights situation in Malaysia showed a “marked deterioration” in 2016 due to increased arrests of government critics and expanded restrictions on public assembly, the Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2017. The report, which was released tonight, detailed the state of human rights in more than 90 countries. “The Malaysian government has responded to corruption allegations by throwing respect for rights out the window,” said Human Rights Watch Asia deputy director Phil Robertson in a statement. “By bringing a slew of prosecutions against those expressing dissenting views or peacefully protesting, the government is seriously undermining democratic institutions and the rights of all Malaysian citizens,” he added. The report cited the extensive use of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) to arrest those who are deemed critical of the government.

The CMA was also used to charge editor-in-chief of the Malaysiakini news website Steven Gan and CEO Premesh Chandran after its video arm uploaded the video of a press conference calling for the Attorney-General to resign. It also cited the November 18 arrest of Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, where she was held 11 days under the controversial law that provides for detention without trial. “The Malaysian government should step back from its repressive course, bring its laws into line with international standards, and start respecting fully the rights of everyone in Malaysia,” Robertson said. The report also said that the police torture of suspects in custody remained a “serious problem” in 2016, while a lack of accountability for police brutality also remained an issue.

The report also raised issue regarding Malaysia’s anti-trafficking efforts, saying that it had failed to effectively implement amendments made in 2014 to its anti-trafficking law. “No progress has been made in identifying and investigating suspects involved in the deaths of over 100 suspected victims of trafficking whose bodies were found in mass graves on the Thai-Malaysian border in 2015,” he added.

Over 150,000 refugees and asylum seekers, the vast majority of whom come from Myanmar, have registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia but are unable to work, travel, or enrol in government schools. The lack of status leaves them highly vulnerable to abuses,” the report added.

It also noted judicial freedom as an area of concern, over proposed amendments to the Legal Profession Act that it said would allow the government to “interfere” with the Bar’s actions. “In addition, they would increase the quorum needed for a general meeting from 500 to 4,000 members, or 25 per cent of the bar’s 17,000 membership, making it virtually impossible for the bar to take action at its general meetings.

The bill to amend the Legal Profession Act is likely be introduced when parliament next sits in March 2017,” it said. It also described discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Malaysia to be “pervasive”. “Numerous Sharia-based laws and regulations prohibiting a “man posing as a woman,” sexual relations between women, and sexual relations between men effectively criminalize LGBT people,” the report added. -

http://www.themalaymailonline.com

Putrajaya urged to allow Rohingya to work

Charles Santiago says education and jobs for refugees will reduce the need for foreign workers.

PETALING JAYA: Klang MP Charles Santiago has urged the government to take concrete action to help Rohingya refugees in the country improve their lives.

Speaking to FMT, he said the dire situation faced by the Rohingya and other refugees in the country was a long way from being resolved and that no amount of meetings and conferences would help.

He was reacting to a Reuters article which highlighted the plight of the refugees, who are in limbo because they don’t have formal refugee status.

He said Putrajaya should at least ratify the United Nation’s Convention on Refugees quickly.

“The missing ingredient in this crisis is the lack of political will on the part of relevant governments in the region, including the Malaysian government,” he added.

He said there was a lot that Putrajaya could do to make the lives of the refugees easier, and one of the most important steps it should take was to give them opportunities for employment and education.

Refugee employment, he said, could help reduce the number of migrant workers in the country, and not only in dirty, difficult and dangerous jobs.

“If we provide them with education opportunities, we could then employ them to fill vacancies which require skilled work,” he said, adding that refugees were known to excel in countries where they had been settled.

Employment and education for the refugees would not only reduce the need for Malaysia to look outside for its human resource needs, but also ensure that the refugees would become self-sustaining, he added.

Santiago said there was often a fear that refugees would not want to leave the country if the government gave them employment and education opportunities.

However, he said, those who had such a fear must recognise that the refugees had nowhere else to go or any resources to enable them to go elsewhere.

“If they cannot work, they will definitely be stuck here,” he said. “But if they work, they could become assets.”

There are some 150,000 refugees in Malaysia, many of whom are Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar to escape poverty, discrimination and persecution.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/

Battling UNHCR card fraud

KUALA LUMPUR: Even as the country grapples with the problem of illegal foreigners, it faces another headache in the form of illegal immigrants hiding behind fake United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees cards. Authorities tasked with looking into this problem said not only were they unable to determine the number of those carrying fake UNHCR cards sold by syndicates as an “all-powerful” document, but they also believed the number was much higher than that issued by the office. The problem was worse for authorities working round-the-clock on the ground to smoke out illegal immigrants, now numbering more than two million, for if they nabbed immigrants without valid papers save for the UNHCR cards, they had difficulties verifying the authenticity of the cards.


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There are about 156,000 holders of the card, issued by the Malaysian chapter of the UN body. Federal police Special Branch director Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Harun told the New Straits Times that it went beyond immigrants seeking refuge or economic gains. He said the poorly controlled issuance of the card in the country had put Malaysia at great risk of being infiltrated by, among others, human traffickers, criminals and syndicates, who would enter the country illegally and seek refugee status here. “The syndicates selling the UNHCR card are making a lot of money.

 The problem has become so rampant that it is almost impossible to go after those who have it in their possession. “If this continues, we are going to see not only an increase in social problems, but also a spike in serious crimes in this country. “UNHCR’s number on registered refugees here does not appear to be too high, but when you assess the situation on the ground, the numbers are more than what was declared. “This is the problem that we are facing,” he said adding that police were also up against syndicates running lucrative fake UNHCR card businesses. Fuzi said, on their part, the police had lodged reports about fake UNHCR cards to the commission so it could take action to plug the weaknesses that had led to the abuse of the system.


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 Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim told the NST that syndicates targeting migrants without valid papers were encouraging illegal entries with the promise of forged documents and fake cards, which they promised would shield them from the country’s laws. “These syndicates are basically promoting Malaysia as a safe haven to illegals. “We are working on several leads and, in the process, we are also checking with UNHCR to verify whether their personnel are involved with the syndicates. “We are looking at all possibilities in arresting this problem,” he said. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the problem was becoming serious, now that the authorities had been reminded against trusting the authenticity of UNHCR cards when the documents were shown to them by migrants. 

He said the authorities had reason to believe that those holding fake cards outnumbered genuine cardholders. “We cannot trust the number provided by UNHCR because we know there are many illegal immigrants using fake cards. “We are also not able to determine if UNHCR has been handing out the cards to refugees in the first place. “Many are taking advantage of the existence of the card.



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The authorities are grappling to trace the more than two million illegals in the country. Where are they staying?” he said, adding that UNHCR was playing a surrogate role in the country to register refugees who had found their way here and to relocate them to a third country within three months. Jazlan carried out a surprise check on illegal immigrants at a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, last week. His visit was followed by a raid by the Immigration Department, where it picked up several foreigners using fake UNHCR cards.

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my

Cops warn of crime spike as cartels sell fake refugee cards to illegal immigrants

Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said UNHCR has no legal standing to issue refugee cards without the government’s approval and blamed the commission as contributing to the flood of immigrants in Malaysia. — Reuters picKUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — Syndicates running the lucrative trade of selling false United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards to illegal immigrants in Malaysia may cause the number of serious crime cases here to rise, local police has warned.



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Federal police Special Branch director Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the false cards exposes Malaysia to the risk of having human traffickers, criminals and syndicates illegally entering here and subsequently seeking recognition as refugees.

“The syndicates selling the UNHCR card are making a lot of money. The problem has become so rampant that it is almost impossible to go after those who have it in their possession.

“If this continues, we are going to see not only an increase in social problems, but also a spike in serious crimes in this country,” he was quoted saying by local daily New Straits Times (NST).

NST said around 156,000 individuals in Malaysia are registered as refugees and hold the UNHCR-issued card, and that local police believe that the number of fake cards is greater than that of those validly issued.


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Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said syndicates are “promoting Malaysia as a safe haven to illegals” by promising forged cards to migrants without valid documents.

“We are working on several leads and, in the process, we are also checking with UNHCR to verify whether their personnel are involved with the syndicates,” he said.

NST also said one of its reporters managed to get a false UNHCR card through an agent of a syndicate by providing a RM120 fee and RM30 for taxi fares and a passport photo.

The reporter’s false UNHCR card carries the name of a Rohingya refugee validly registered in the UN body’s Malaysian chapter’s database, with the name shared by several other Rohingyas in their false cards.



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Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, who oversees the National Security Council and the Immigration Department, reportedly said the government had never gave its nod to the issuance of UNHCR cards and the number of cards or the recipients.

“They (illegal immigrants) have been hiding behind these cards. It is as though they are just handing them (the cards) out freely to anyone who claims to need refuge. Right now, these ‘bandits’ (the foreigners) are all over the country,” the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department was quoted saying, claiming that the cards are being traded nationwide for good value.

Shahidan said UNHCR has no legal standing to issue refugee cards without the government’s approval and blamed the commission as contributing to the flood of immigrants in Malaysia.



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Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said many are taking advantage of the false cards and that the authorities are grappling to trace the over two million illegal immigrants in Malaysia.

UNHCR said it shared the government’s concerns and that it is up to Malaysia to probe the problem of false refugee registration cards held by illegal immigrants, adding that it has been regularly updating the cards’ security features and to ensure more efficient verification by the authorities.

“UNHCR conducts the regular monitoring of its cardholders, and monitoring will be done frequently if specific allegations are reported,” the commission’s local spokesman Yante Ismail was quoted saying.

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She said UNHCR has a rigorous process to determine genuine asylum seekers, adding that the cards are issued to any individual who meet the “accepted international definition of needing refugee protection without discrimination on the basis of race, religion and nationality.”

Currently, there are around 156,000 refugees from around 50 countries registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia, with 93 per cent originating from Myanmar, Yante said.

http://www.themalaymailonline.com

Thai Actress: ‘The Cause of Refugees Deserves Wider Attention’

Thai actress and model Priya “Pu” Suandokmai talks with refugees from Burma on the Thai border. (Photo: UNHCR)

Well-known Thai actress and model Priya “Pu” Suandokmai has joined a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) fundraising project that highlights the plight of Burma’s displaced in Thailand. The campaign, called “Namjai (Generosity) for Refugees,” aims to assist over 100,000 Burmese refugees currently living in nine camps on the Thai-Burma border. The Irrawaddy’s Saw Yan Naing interviewed Pu about her interest in refugee issues and how she became involved in the UNHCR’s project in Thailand.



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What made you want to join the UNHCR’s ‘Namjai for Refugees’ campaign?

I have known the UNHCR for two years now. It started when I read the news about refugees’ situation globally. I felt a lot of compassion for them—I only wish to help them better their lives. The traumatic experiences they have faced are incredibly sad, and as humans we need to help one another. That’s why I Googled organizations that were taking care of refugees and the UNHCR came up, so I decided to email them.

Since then, I have joined UNHCR activities like charity fashion shows and a campaign promoting [awareness of] refugee children with disabilities. So when they proposed a new initiative to raise funds for refugees from Myanmar living in Thailand, I had no hesitation about joining the campaign.

Thai actress and model Priya “Pu” Suandokmai visits a refugee family from Burma in the Mae La camp on the Thai-Burma border. (Photo: UNHCR)

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What is your role in the ‘Namjai for Refugees’ campaign?

Eight celebrities team up into four groups to use their talent to create artwork that will raise funds for refugees in Thailand. I asked my friend Sanshai—a designer extraordinaire—to be on my team and to design a special T-shirt that would [bring attention to] the voices of refugee women. Sanshai and I help promote the campaign through our networks and fans so that the UNHCR can receive enough funding to support refugees. When the campaign ends, we will showcase our design work and hopefully give out this special T-shirt as a token of appreciation to donors who supported our team.

How did you become interested in the plight of refugees?

Last year, I was following the news of refugees and that’s when I decided to personally contact the UNHCR. I was deeply saddened—I could no longer not take action. I feel that [because of] my position, I have the ability to make changes in the world and that is an incredible thing. I have lived a very privileged life and I have more than enough time and effort to share toward bettering [others’] lives.

What motivates you to visit Burmese refugees on the Thai border and learn about their lives?

I have always read about the refugee camps in the north of Thailand and it was an honor to have the opportunity to visit Mae La camp and meet the families there. I met the kindest people who have been through the most traumatic experiences, but have pushed through and shown bravery, strength and gratitude. After my visit, I had a better understanding of what they need and how we can help them. This was an unforgettable experience that keeps me motivated to advocate for their rights.



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How did you feel after learning specifically about the challenges facing refugee women and children?

Despite the persecution and trauma that some of these people went through, they have shown me nothing but kindness and gratitude. I have been helping the UNHCR raise funds to help a boy called Johnity. Meeting him personally and seeing him improve through rehabilitation has been so heart-warming. I feel that everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion, should be entitled to human rights. Learning about the lives of the refugees has motivated me to continue my work with them.

How do you believe that your popularity can improve understanding of refugee issues among Thai audiences?

As public figures, we have the ability to make our voices and opinions heard in order to make the changes we wish to see in society. I feel if I can use my voice to make the voices of refugees heard, then together we can raise awareness. I believe people are compassionate, but sometimes what they need is more understanding.

There are still ongoing wars in northern and eastern Burma that have recently displaced thousands more refugees. What would you like to say to the parties that wage war in Burma and cause people to flee their homes? 

I’d like to talk about conflict in general. I have learned from the UNHCR that the number of refugees and people forced to flee from their homes has reached 60 million [globally], which is the highest since World War II. This is alarming and shows how urgently we need to find peace and the political will to end conflict and war. The recent development in Myanmar is promising. I hope that peaceful solutions can be found in the near future.



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What are your plans for future advocacy projects?

My plan is to continue advocating for refugees’ rights both in Thailand and around the world. By engaging with the UNHCR, I realize the tremendous task this organization has to undertake. I am committed to using my reputation to make a difference in the lives of refugees through fundraising, advocacy and public relations. The cause of refugees deserves wider attention from global citizens.

France opens first international-standard refugee camp

CALAIS: France opened its first international-standard refugee camp in the teeth of official opposition today while demolition continued at the nearby Calais “Jungle” camp.

Three families of Iraqi Kurds were the first to arrive at the new camp in Grande-Synthe near Dunkirk on the northern French coast, an AFP reporter said.

They came from another site nearby where around 1,000 people have been living in miserable conditions with limited protection from the cold.

The new camp, featuring some 200 heated wooden cabins and proper toilets and showers, has been built by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) with the support of the local town hall, despite opposition from the French government.

The 3.1 million euro migrant accommodation is thought to be the first in France to meet international standards, and MSF said they hoped soon to have 375 cabins, catering for 2,500 people.

“It’s a great day for human solidarity,” said local mayor Damien Careme, who fought a battle with the authorities.

“I’ve overcome a failure of the state,” he said, adding that he could no longer stand the sight of around 75 children living in the original camp.

The move has frustrated the government which has been trying to move refugees away from the northern coast and into centres where their movement is more controlled.

The government’s representative in northern France, Jean-Francois Cordet, said last month: “The government’s policy is not to reconstitute a camp at Grande-Synthe, but to make it go away.”

The authorities began a second week of demolition at the region’s largest refugee camp, nicknamed the “Jungle”, in nearby Calais on Monday.

Thousands of migrants have been living in the Jungle and other smaller camps along the northern coast, desperate to reach Britain where many have family or community ties and see better hopes of gaining employment or education.

Most have turned down offers from the French government to move into heated containers alongside the Jungle, or into accommodation centres elsewhere in France, fearing doing so would end their dreams of reaching Britain.

Unlike these alternatives, the new camp at Grande-Synthe will not restrict the movement of migrants and refugees, MSF said.

In Calais, a group of children tried to offer white roses to the line of riot police holding back migrants and volunteers as workers resumed the dismantling of makeshift shelters in the Calais camp.

Nine Iranians who last week stitched their mouths shut in protest at the demolition, said they were carrying out a hunger strike.

Some two hectares (five acres) of the Jungle were destroyed last week, and authorities said it could take a month or more to demolish the southern half of the camp.

Local authorities say there were between 800 and 1,000 migrants living in the southern half, while aid groups say there were around 3,500.

– AFP

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com

IN THAILAND, WAITING GAME CONTINUES FOR MYANMAR REFUGEES

The political transition has brought far-reaching change to Myanmar, but for tens of thousands of refugees in camps in Thailand life remains in limbo.

By JARED DOWNING | FRONTIER

About 10,000 people came up as missing last year when Thailand and the United Nations counted every refugee left in the nine camps just across the border. They hadn’t been resettled abroad, nor had they turned in their ration cards and been officially repatriated to Myanmar.

They were just gone, slipped through a hole in an old camp fence, found a boat to take them over the shallow Moei River and vanished into the jungles of Kayin State.

Of course, they kept their refugee documents and ration cards, just in case they wanted to slip back and re-join the more than 110,000 “displaced people” in “temporary shelters” as they are called by Thailand, which never signed the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.

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Yet these temporary shelters have been standing since the 1980s, long enough for the first comers to have children and grandchildren in the camps, long enough for countless magazine stories and documentaries, and possibly long enough even to outlast the vicious conflicts that first sent them there.

“The refugee leadership are saying, ‘It's time to go,’ but they're not saying ‘let's go,’” said Iain Hall, senior field coordinator for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, at Mae Sot, Thailand.

A race against time, in which in any year or month Thai authorities will suddenly decide to shut down the camps and send everyone packing ready or not, to a wild, landmine-infested jungle, is how decades of speculation have painted the situation.

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“[Rumours are] sometimes fueled by NGOs or CBOs who hear this and they spread it: ‘Tell all the refugees that the camps are going to be closed because they’re doing the military head count!’ It’s irresponsible,” said Mr Hall.

He insisted that this is false and that Thailand has and does honour the right of displaced people to a safe, dignified and, especially, voluntary return, UN convention or not. He said the hearsay escalated after the Karen National Union signed a ceasefire with the government in 2012, and reached a crescendo after Thailand’s 2014 coup, when the military began a physical headcount of the camp residents.

“We spent a long time doing damage control,” said Mr Hall.

Instead, the decision-makers, he explained, will be the refugees themselves, especially their leaders. Each camp contains its own leadership committee, which in turn is overseen by the Karen Refugee Committee, a semi-political body with ties to the KNU.

The KRC has no authority to order anyone home, but in a culture with deep respect for leadership, a word from the top would invariably set things in motion.

Thus, the question is, what are they waiting for?

Two young children walk through one of the Mae La camp’s winding lanes. (Steve Tickner / Frontier)

Promised land

“If we go back, we won’t have the land,” said KRC chairman Pastor Robert Htwe, who crossed the border in 1975 to minister to displaced Karen Christians.

Land is a problem and a significant amount of is heavily mined. Despite the recent multi-party ceasefire, large tracts in Kayin and Kayah states remain in volatile political limbo as the KNU, Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and Tatmadaw hammer out boundaries. There are decades-old ownership and title disputes to untangle. In some places, untamed bush covers where thriving villages once stood.

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The exiles can re-plant and rebuild, said Pastor Htwe; Myanmar’s hill tribes, if anything, are capable and resilient. But ‘land’ for him and his people is bigger than titles, soil and hidden bombs. ‘Land’ means security, and within the old, tattered camp fences, people can still find some sort of healthcare, they can still send their children to school, and, most importantly, they can know that these things will probably not go away, despite the endemic rumour mill.

They cannot say the same for anywhere across the Moei River.

The signs are encouraging. The KNU and the Myanmar government finally seem to be working together and there’s reason for optimism. But after decades of having promises delivered and then broken, Pastor Htwe and his people have become accustomed to biding their time.

“Many people, they want to go back, but we don’t know our future,” he said.

Even “going back” means different things to different people. The majority want to eventually return home rather than being resettled in a third country, a consensus cited by Pastor Htwe and supported by UNHCR surveys. Some want to return to their own villages. Others want to stay together, to preserve the deep-rooted communities that have formed in the camps. Families have joined and joined again; new clans and even subcultures have emerged. Some talk about simply packing up their huts and rebuilding them on Kayin soil.

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It’s a pipe dream, said Pastor Htwe. He said discussions within and among the KRC, KNU, Myanmar government and other parties all prioritise sending people back to their original villages, if possible. “If we return, we cannot stay together like in the camp.”

Define: refugee

More troubling for Pastor Htwe are those who do not wish to return at all.

“[Now] there are a lot of ethnicities,” he said. “After resettlement in 2005, a lot of people came from Burma for the resettling, not as refugees.”

He is referring to when the Thai government, with UN assistance, began resettling registered camp members en masseto countries such as the United States and Australia. Supposedly to curb opportunistic migration it also limited new camp registrations to special cases, such as people with certain medical conditions or at risk of gender-based violence. It resulted in something of a divide in the camp community between the registered old guard and unregistered newcomers.

Pastor Htwe believes the unregistered population, on the whole, has strengthened the idea that the refugees are only looking for a ticket to the West. “They will tell you, ‘We don’t want to come back.’” This in turn has made it more difficult to retain the interest of outside donors and supporters.

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Daw Moe Moe Win has lived for 10 years in sprawling Mae La camp near Mae Sot. She is Chin, but her husband is Karen. She has fled conflict twice, she said, first from Chin State, and then, after studying English in Yangon, from her husband’s village in Kayin.

They are unregistered, having arrived at the camp a month before registration ended, but Daw Moe Moe Win said she was not there only because of the possibility of being resettled abroad. Even if she was, years of camp life would not be worth it.

“We don’t want to be a refugee. People look down on us,” she said. “I’ve lived in Mae La ten years and I have only been out [in the city] maybe ten times.”

She and her husband want to return to Myanmar, but they wouldn’t say “no” to somewhere else either. “Where is safe? That is the first priority.”

Myanmar is not safe, not in her mind or the minds of her fellow refugees, despite the ceasefire. “When I was growing up, I saw ceasefire. At that time they said ‘ceasefire,’ but they destroyed the Chin land, the Chin people.”

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The war in Kayin was a 70-year conflict, fraught with bullets and torched homes, as well as also broken promises and dashed hopes. The situation is tense in many of the newly-stable conflict zones. The newspapers might say peace while packs of zealous soldiers-turned-bandits seek revenge in the jungle, and old land mines still cripple children. The fear, at least, is enough to keep Daw Moe Moe Win in the camp.

Mr Hall agrees with focusing on repatriation rather than resettlement elsewhere. “Resettlement is a protection solution. We’re not a travel club,” he said.

But he believes most camp residents, including those who are unregistered, do not want to move on to a third country. About half of those left in the nine camps are still registered, yet requests for resettlement abroad have plummeted in recent years.

In other words, there are thousands of people who have been offered a free pass to a third country and said “no.”

“That told us something,” said Mr Hall. “We think the majority would like to go home.”

And the feeling is growing, especially as a new generation emerges in the camps.

“They're youth,” Mr Hall said. “They're 15, 16 and 17, and they're in a refugee camp. And they're in restrictions, they can't leave the camp, and they're going, ‘What is this life I've got? I don't want this life. Whether it's Holland or Myanmar, whether I get to Thailand illegally or whether I get to resettle in the US. I'm just a kid.”

Children reflected in a pond at the Mae La Oon refugee camp. (Vincenzo Floramo / Frontier)

Slow exodus

Ten thousand, at least, have already left.

The missing people were most likely what the UN calls “self-assisted returns,” people who just pack up and leave without alerting the KRC, the UN, Thai security or anyone else.

“They often tend to be the most successful. Why? Because they don’t need the support. Because they made the decision without anyone badgering them,” said Mr Hall.

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He said they usually keep their refugee documents and ration cards “just in case,” and sometimes drift back across the Moei River to visit friends and family in the camp and bring news from home.

This is the exodus we can expect for now: Not floodgates opening, but a trickle of people wandering over to the other side to see how things are, gradually dissolving the barrier between camp and country.

“A lot of them have just had enough.”

http://frontiermyanmar.net

Malaysian police nab 2 Myanmar men in mass graves case

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Police team chief says suspects found during search for 6 other foreigners in relation to human trafficking camps along Thai border

By P Prem Kumar

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian police have detained two Myanmar nationals during a search for six other foreigners wanted in relation to mass graves of human trafficking victims found along the border with Thailand last year.

The chief of a special police team investigating the case told Anadolu Agency Wednesday that the two men, both in their 30s, were found at an immigration detention center as they had been deemed victims of human trafficking.

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They were, however, named by other victims during a suspect identification process last week, Goh Kok Liang said by phone.

“They were kept at the immigration detention center as illegal immigrants, only until they were named as prime suspects involved in the mass graves,” he said.

“They are not the traffickers but should have plenty of knowledge on the actual criminals. I cannot say more because we are yet to record a statement and this is a highly secretive case,” he added.

Police are still searching for the other six suspects, included among whom are Myanmar and Thai nationals.

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“We are getting arrest warrants for the six suspects so that once we locate them, we can remand them,” Liang said.

“They are also involved in a small way in the human trafficking syndicate.”

In May last year, 159 gravesites – some holding more than one body – were found at 28 human trafficking camps in the northern Malaysian towns of Padang Besar and Wang Kelian near the Thai border.

The discovery came after more than 30 corpses were found in jungle camps in southern Thailand.

According to Malaysian authorities, the camps on the Malay side of the Thai border had become a safe haven to temporarily house the migrants – many of them Muslim Rohingya who have been fleeing Myanmar in droves since 2012 – while Thai authorities carried out their operation on the other side.

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The crackdown by Thai authorities on the camps had also scared traffickers into abandoning their human cargo at sea.

Following a tri-nation conference on the crisis May 20, Indonesia and Malaysia announced they would take those they considered to be refugees – predominantly Rohingya – in for one year before the international community finds homes for them, while those classified as economic migrants – predominantly Bangladeshi – would be repatriated.

Since the discovery, Thai police have charged at least 88 people – including a general – with human trafficking while Malaysia detained 47 people – including four police officials – as of November.

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Why are some refugees more equal than others?

A few weeks ago on the night of Maal Hijrah, the Immigration Department raided a village in Bagan Dalam, mainland Penang and rounded up about 80 "illegal immigrants". Sixty of them were refugees and asylum seekers which included women and children. A majority of refugees living in this community were Rohingya Muslims who, as we know, are regarded as the most persecuted and most vulnerable communities in the world.

Just last month, the government surprised the entire nation by saying that our country would "open its doors to 3,000 Syrian migrants over the next three years to help alleviate the refugee crisis".

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said this at the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly:

“This is why Malaysia has taken, over the years, many people fleeing war, starvation and persecution. We currently have hundreds of thousands of irregular migrants, and we took in earlier this year when there was a dire humanitarian situation in the Andaman Sea.”

However, the refugee crisis that occurred several months prior to the UN General Assembly, painted a very different story. News broke out of how thousands of Rohingya refugees who had sailed for months in dingy little boats were turned away and pushed back out to sea by governments from the surrounding region. This contentious move was seen as unjust, cruel and contradicted democratic principles on which our nation was founded.

The recent raid in Bagan Dalam simply verifies the insincerity of tackling the refugee crisis in a more humane manner. It is time for the government to seriously look into ratifying the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees which is an important piece of legal document that defines a refugee, their rights and the legal obligations of states.

Accordingly, the term "refugees" applies to any person who "owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it."

The sad reality is that as a nation, we appear to be tip toeing until something “gives” or worst yet, ignoring the gravity of the refugee crisis in our homeland altogether.

In the quest to seek safer pastures, thousands of refugees risk their lives as they embark on hazardous journeys on rickety boats to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. Surely they deserve better than the current treatment to which they are subjected.

The discrimination and inequality faced by the Rohingya Muslims paints a very bleak picture for the Asean community – it also unravels hidden xenophobia and candidly shows how we treat one another based on the colour of our skin.

According to UNHCR, currently the number of refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia is about 270,621 – these numbers also include stateless persons and there are about 50 million refugees worldwide.

One cannot deny that there is a need to create a mechanism that can allow UNHCR to speed up the process of documenting the thousands of refugees who are currently on Malaysian soil. There is an absolute urgency to tackle this issue with earnest for fear that this crisis may one day become beyond intractable.

The government can no longer stay mum on this issue and must be held accountable. Walk the talk and provide relief and rehabilitation to displaced persons regardless of where they come from. – October 30, 2015.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

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Shop for your Kitchen today with Myanmar Refugees

Malaysian gov’t must guarantee rights of children

Child protection has always been mooted as a priority for the Malaysian government. After all, Rosmah Mansor once famously reminded everyone, “Children are the nation’s foundation, and the needs of civilisation’s sustainability. They are valuable assets to nation building, helping to realize our vision and to shape the nation’s future growth and progress.”

Every single child regardless of their country of origin has the right to be protected from violence, exploitation and abuse.

However, millions of children suffer from such atrocities every single day. According to the UN, 1.2 million children worldwide are being trafficked and approximately 300,000 children - both boys and girls under the age of 18, are used as child soldiers and forced to provide sexual services in various war torn countries.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 215 million children between the ages of 5-17 are employed in various forms of labor which robs them of their childhood and educational needs; more than half are subjected to extremely harsh working conditions.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that there are about 19.5 million refugees worldwide and 51 percent are under 18 years old. This is by far the ‘highest figure for child refugees in more than a decade’ and these numbers prove just how vulnerable children really are.

Recently, Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming revealed that among 71,362 detainees currently detained in various immigration centres across Malaysia - 1,918 are children; 813 from Myanmar, 422 from Indonesia, 295 from Philippines, 121 from Cambodia. These numbers are painfully shocking and the government must seriously look into this matter.

The Malaysian government ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1995 which aimed to maintain civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of all children below 18 years old.

Article 2 clearly defines the non-discriminatory practices and applications of which signatories must adhere to. In other words, it shouldn’t matter where the child resides, where they come from, what gender they are or whether they have disabilities, no child should be treated unfairly on any basis.

Article 4 which detail the protection of rights, states that ‘governments have a responsibility to take all available measures to make sure children’s rights are respected, protected and fulfilled.’

Every country that ratifies the convention agrees to review their laws relating to children. The Malaysia Child Act 2001, was partially enacted in order to fulfill Malaysia's obligations under this article, which details the country’s legislation for the protection, care and rehabilitation of children. Upon ratifying the convention, governments are obligated to take all necessary measures to ensure that at least minimum standards are being met.

Vulnerability often associated with age

Vulnerability is often associated with age; therefore, the risks are higher amongst younger children and those from a particular ethnic origin, gender or socio-economic background. Child refugees and unaccompanied migrant children are also at greater risk of being abused and exploited, therefore, Article 22 details the rights of refugee children whose protection, safety and wellbeing must be guaranteed - once again, regardless of status, ethnicity and religion.

This is a very important part that ensures protection must be extended even to non-Malaysian children.

The 1,918 detained children need extensive psychological and physical treatment to help them recover from the troubles associated with separation and the traumatic experiences they have experienced. Children need stability in order to develop positive and healthy relationships with those around them.

Unfortunately, the current system does not offer adequate support and the curative treatment these children need. A country that has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child cannot consent to a system that exhibits and perpetuates any practices that violate children’s rights.

Malaysia, being one of these countries, can no longer close an eye and continue to ignore the plight of these children - the government must be stringent when it comes to adhering to the Convention and must be made accountable for tolerating this poor lapse of judgment.

SYERLEENA ABDUL RASHID is DAP Youth Bukit Bendera secretary, DAP Wanita Bukit Bendera political education director and MBPP councillor.