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Posted on 6 October 2016 - 04:35pm

Last updated on 6 October 2016 - 08:19pm

G.Surach

newsdesk@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Malaysia and healthcare provider Qualitas Medical Group today launched - "One Clinic, One Community, Qualitas Refugee Health Programme", to provide refugees primary healthcare which will in turn reduce spread of infection from communicable diseases.

The subsidised health service will be provided at any one of Qualitas 80 clinics nationwide.

Qualitas chairman and managing director Datuk Dr Noorul Ameen Mohamed Ishack said their aim was to provide medical services to these marginalised communities, and stop spread of communicable diseases to support the overall health of Malaysians.

"The programme will help address the primary healthcare issues faced by the refugee communities here in Malaysia," he said during the launch and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing between both groups at the Federal Hotel, here, today.

Having met representatives of the refugee community organisations for a briefing on the health programme, last week, Noorul said Qualitas for the past month has been piloting the health programme in four of its clinics close to large numbers of refugees.

"With the launch, Qualitas will extend the programme to all its other primary healthcare clinics throughout Malaysia," he added.

UNCHR's Malaysian representative Richard Towle said the programme will improve the welfare of refugee families.

"Life for refugees in Malaysia is very difficult. Because they are considered as illegal immigrants by law, they are unable to work legally in the country and are often unable to afford basic healthcare services

"Early treatment at primary healthcare facilities and better education can prevent illnesses, if left untreated, would cost more to refugee families and Malaysia," he said.

He said there are some 150,000 refugees currently registered with UNHCR, with majority coming from Myanmar.

While refugees have access to public and private healthcare facilities in the country but factors including cost, fear of movement, and language limitations prohibit access to healthcare services.

"Partnerships with private healthcare providers like Qualitas is a good example of private sector involvement in reducing the burden of healthcare on the public healthcare system, while ensuring that marginalised communities get the healthcare they need.

"This programme creates affordable healthcare for an extremely vulnerable population, thus curbing any public health problems within this group," he added.

http://www.thesundaily.my/



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UN call to ease visa restrictions for refugee students

UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, is calling on universities to support scholarships for refugees and on governments to invest in education for refugees and to ease the provision of visas for refugee students. 

Melissa Fleming, chief spokesperson for UNHCR, spoke toUniversity World News in advance of making the plea in a speech at the annual conference of the European Association for International Education in Liverpool in the United Kingdom on Friday.

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“We are calling on countries as part of the global responsibility sharing not just to think in terms of funding or resettlement of refugees but also of student visas,” she said.

“Sometimes it is not up to the universities but to governments to say 'okay, if this is going to be our part in sharing responsibility for the global refugee problem, we will encourage student visas'.”

Fleming said currently there are a lot of universities willing to provide scholarships but they are facing red tape.

“To try to get a Syrian student into a US university, it takes two years to go through the screening process for resettlement to the US,” she said. “Yet there are a couple of examples – Ireland, which has a number of scholarships for Syrian students and Portugal as well – where it is not just the universities but the government also offering visas as their contribution to alleviating the refugee crisis.”

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Fleming said the key message of a new UNHCR report, Missing Out: Refugee education in crisis, released on Thursday is that the current approach to supporting education of refugees is “short-sighted” and “dumb”.

Only about half of refugee children are in primary school, one in four go to secondary school and only 1% of refugee youth have a chance to go to university.

This compares with UNESCO figures of 34% of young people of university age accessing higher education around the world.

“This is not just a situation of haves and have nots; it is short-sighted and dumb, frankly, not to put everything into investment in refugee children and youth."

She said the average time spent as a refugee is 20 years and many refugees stem from conflicts in areas of great strategic interest such as Afghanistan and Syria.

“Refugees would be the future architects and engineers, mayors and doctors and peace-builders of their war-torn country because virtually all refugees want to return home.”

Conversely, there is a lot of evidence that if we don’t put a child in education, they become susceptible to abuse and recruitment by armed groups, and for youths with no prospect of education or a job, working for the local warlord in some situations may be the only option.

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Perpetuating violence

So if you don’t invest in education, you “risk perpetuating the cycle of conflict and violence that you are investing in military and diplomacy to try to stop”, Fleming says.

Fleming said that a key problem for UNHCR is that its needs-based budget is designed in a way that makes life-saving the essential priority, followed by recovery from trauma, and support for other more long-term needs gets cut when the money – pledged by governments – doesn’t come in.

This lack of foresight creates a gaping hole, particularly in education. Donors are all on board when it comes to understanding the essential need for primary education, but when it comes to secondary education, there just isn’t enough money made available and higher education is off the scale altogether. 

It becomes a vicious circle because if children don’t go to primary school, they won’t make it to secondary; if they don’t go to secondary they won’t make it to higher education, and even if they do make it to secondary, they face the problem of lack of documentation of their secondary achievements or exam passes that might qualify them to move on to the tertiary level.

“Money talks,” says Fleming. “It can help convince countries to integrate refugees into their national education system rather than being stuck in an informal parallel system which is often not accredited.”

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“It is more difficult for the refugees,” she says, “because they then have to learn in the local language. But they are doing this in Lebanon with double shifts in the schools, a huge exercise that needs political will as the government has to adapt the school system if there are large numbers of refugees – but they are not going to unless there is the funding.”

There are lots of obstacles to negotiate, from the general underfunding of UNHCR and other humanitarian organisations, to refugees being in a very disadvantaged position. They might not have their high school transcripts with them or they forgot their high school diploma when they fled as the bomb dropped on their house, so there is a lot of red tape to negotiate.

The demand is increasing year by year. This summer’s figure of65.3 million people forcibly displaced worldwide compares with 38 million 10 years ago, and the funding is not keeping up with the needs, Fleming says.

UN summit

A UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants is being held in New York on Monday, in which the UN General Assembly will address the issue. The draft of the outcomes includes a pledge to support good quality primary and secondary education in safe learning environments for all refugee children within a few months of the initial displacement. And there is a specific pledge to support early childhood education and “promote tertiary education, skills training and vocational education”.

The text recognises that “in conflict and crisis situations, higher education serves as a powerful driver for change, shelters and protects a critical group of young men and women by maintaining their hopes for the future, fosters inclusion and non-discrimination, and acts as a catalyst for the recovery and rebuilding of post-conflict countries”.

The day after the summit, President Barack Obama has called aLeaders’ Summit on Refugees, whose purpose, according to US National Security Advisor Susan Rice, is to take direct action and “urge and support robust action by other UN member states”. 

New and significant concrete commitments are to be made, she says, to address the problem that “massive numbers of refugees are turning to dangerous and illegal smuggling networks in search of safety; and millions more face long-term dependence in first asylum countries, without access to lawful employment and education”.

The summits are a response to the European refugee crisis, Fleming says. “All of a sudden the world is noticing that there is a large number of people on the move. The meeting will not resolve the huge structural challenges immediately, but it will definitely launch a new framework for taking care of refugees at the outset.”

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Chain broken

The problem is that refugees are moving from one country to the next when they find they can’t work or find a way to put their children in school and the chain of education that leads up to higher education is immediately broken.

“When we surveyed refugees coming from Syria to Greece and moving to Austria, Germany and Sweden, we asked what was driving them to risk their lives again in rickety boats to move to other countries in Europe, and all of them were saying 'I don’t have the ability to make a living and ensure my kids get an education'.”

In Turkey only around 30% of refugee children are in school, in Jordan 70% and in Lebanon 40%. “Countries in Europe did not realise how much refugees would risk to get their children a chance to get an education.”

So many university students came to Europe either directly from Syria or from countries neighbouring Syria and all they wanted to do was continue their education. This presents a big challenge to the richer counties, to sort out red tape, ways of funding places, providing language programmes and bridging programmes to bring students whose education has been cut off by war to readiness for university in a foreign language or country.

There are two pathways that UNHCR highlights. One is investment in schemes like its own DAFI (a German acronym for the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative) scholarship scheme, which is funded mostly by the German government, and supports scholarships for students in the country of asylum, typically next to the country of conflict they came from, so that they can more easily return home to help rebuild their country when the fighting stops.

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There is also a small but growing number of programmes of blended learning, where a community of learners is created in one learning space and connected online to tutors in partner universities in the country of asylum and in Western countries, with the latter providing accredited qualifications, including diplomas and degrees. Some of the learning is done at a distance online, but in some cases teachers also visit the learning centres in person, depending on the risks involved.

A consortium of this type of 'connected learning' is being developed to spread good practice and provide greater choice for students – typically situated in refugee camps or urban communities of refugees in countries such as Kenya and Jordan – through flexible pathways between providers in the consortium.

The UNHCR report cites the example of Nawa, a 20-year-old Somali refugee who never set foot in a school until she was 16. But thanks to the Fugee School, one of 121 refugee learning centres in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, she was given a chance to learn English and study for her secondary school certificate – and now she has been accepted onto a course at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, where she is doing a foundation course while still volunteering as a teacher in the learning centre.

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Nawa is one of 42 refugee students currently enrolled in three universities in Malaysia as a result of strong advocacy with tertiary institutions by UNHCR.

“Every human being has the right to an education,” she said. “With education, you have the key to unlock every door. Before I came to Malaysia and started at Fugee School, I did not know what I wanted in the future. But now I know what life is like, what opportunities are out there, and I have better skills to serve the world.”

http://www.universityworldnews.com

Malaysia's DPM Zahid Arrives In New York For UNGA

NEW YORK: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi arrived here to represent Malaysia at the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The commercial aircraft carrying Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, and his entourage touched down at the John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 9.25 pm Saturday (9.25 am Sunday in Malaysia).

This is his fourth visit to the United States since appointed deputy prime minister in July last year, and his maiden appearance as head of the Malaysian delegation at UNGA.

On hand to welcome him were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, as well as Malaysian officials based in New York and Washington.

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Ahmad Zahid's working visit to New York City is until Sept 25.

Besides Ahmad Zahid, the Malaysian entourage attending the UN gathering and related events, includes Anifah, as well as senior officials from the Deputy Prime Minister's Office, Foreign Ministry and Home Ministry.

Last month, Ahmad Zahid chaired the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) at the UN headquarters.

Among the highlights of the deputy prime minister's visit this time is delivering the national statement for Malaysia at the General Debate on Sept 24.

Prior to that, Ahmad Zahid is scheduled to participate in the High-Level Meeting to address large movements of refugees and migrants at the General Assembly on Sept 19.

He will also join other leaders at the High-Level Meeting on the situation in Syria at the UN Security Council on Sept 21.

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In October last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, at the 70th session of UNGA, announced that Malaysia would open its doors to 3,000 Syrian migrants on humanitarian grounds over a period of three years to help ease the refugee crisis.

It was reported that Malaysia was aiming to give temporary shelter to 500 Syrian migrants by the end of this year.

Ahmad Zahid is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the 71st UNGA to discuss matters of mutual interest.

- Bernama

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138 Myanmar detainees in Malaysia set to return home

Kuala Lumpur, Aug 7 (IANS) The first batch of 138 Myanmar nationals detained in Malaysia is set to return home on Monday, official sources said on Sunday.

The detainees, who have been issued Certificate of Identity, under the arrangement with the Kanbawza's Brighter Future Myanmar Foundation will return to Myanmar on a Myanmar International flight from Kuala Lumpur, Myanmar's Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

At present, 2,294 Myanmarese nationals are detained in 11 camps in Malayasia, the sources added.

In March 2015, a Myanmarese Navy warship carried back 102 illegal Myanmarese immigrants from Malaysia who were kept at detention camps.

More than 400,000 Myanmar immigrants are reportedly working in Malaysia, of whom about 300,000 are legal entrants, while about 40,000 are illegal. The rest are involved in various processes for refugee status.

Myanmar authorities are cooperating with Malaysian officials to protect their citizens working in the Southeast Asian country as they are often targeted victims of violence and murder there.

In September 2013, Myanmar started recalling its citizens detained in Malaysia for working illegally there.

Malaysia working with UNHCR on more secure refugee cards

Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that the new cards have been issued since June under the collaboration between the Malaysian government and UNHCR. — file picturePUTRAJAYA, Aug 18 ― The Malaysian government is collaborating with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to issue new refugee identification cards with high security features, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

Zahid, who is also home minister, announced that the new cards have been issued since June under the collaboration between the Malaysian government and UNHCR.

“The issuance of the card will go through tight screening steps. Therefore, the process of replacing the old UNHCR cards will take a bit of time.

“This move is intended to tackle the problem of the issuance of fake UNHCR cards,” he said in a statement today after chairing a meeting on UNHCR-related issues.

Zahid also said a joint task force will be formed in which the UNHCR and Malaysia will work together to register and issue the new cards, but said the process of determining refugee status remains fully under the organisation based on the UN’s 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol.

The joint task force comprised senior officers from the Home Ministry, the National Security Council, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and UNHCR, he said.

On June 21, UNHCR Malaysia representative Richard Towle launched the new card with better security features to overcome past weaknesses that allowed counterfeiting.

According to a New Straits Times’ report then, Towle had said the new card is backed by better biometric data collection, besides including security features such as 3D holograms and bar codes.

The UNHCR had also launched the UNHCR VERIFY-MY mobile application, which Towle said would enable local enforcement agencies or those doing UNHCR work to scan the “Secure Quick Response” (SQR) code on the new cards to verify their authenticity.

UNHCR’s Senior Protection Officer (Oversight) Michael Wells had said the old version of the card was easier to replicate, while the new card had one of the best technologies globally with a biometric scan of fingers, face and retina.

The NST had earlier this year reported that there are syndicates selling counterfeit UNHCR cards ― that are only meant for verified refugees and asylum seekers ― to illegal immigrants.

http://www.themalaymailonline.com

Pope receives life jacket of drowned refugee child

VATICAN CITY: "We are rescuers and we are saving lives in the Aegean Sea:" this is how the NGO Proactiva Open Arms is literally reaching out with arms extended, to save refugees landing on the Greek island of Lesbos.

At Wednesday’s General Audience, Proactiva founder Oscar Camps presented Pope Francis with the life jacket of a 6 year old girl who drowned together with her family as they tried to reach safety on Lesbos.

"I know. I know your story," the Pope said to Oscar Camps, who said he and his non-profit Spanish organization arrived on Lesbos after they saw the horrifying images of “hundreds of children dying along the shore and nobody was doing anything. " "Each boatload of people, has a dramatic tale to tell:" families are separated, orphaned children who lost their parents along the way now find themselves in a strange country, a continent that is not their own, and no one to help them.

Camps said he and other lifeguards were indignant about the tragedy unfolding in nearby Greece. He couldn’t just sit on the couch at home – so, he took 15,000 euros in savings and together with a group of volunteer rescue workers and lifeguards, set off for Lesbos last September.

Since then, the Proactiva team has been on hand to help the some 3,000 people, most fleeing the conflict in Syria, who arrive on the island each day. "There have been days when we’ve reached 8,000 in one day, without forgetting tragedies like that of October 28, 2015 in which more than 300 men and women and drowned," said Laura Lanuza, another Proactiva Open Arms volunteer.

Pope Francis visited the island of Lesbos on 16 April this year. On the flight back to Rome, he confessed to reporters that, for him, it had been a "sad journey" full of grief, having witnessed the plight of the refugees.

"With his visit, Pope Francisco gave us a lesson for everyone," Oscar Camps observed. The Pope brought back to Rome three families of refugees, Camps recalled, “so we are now in the Vatican to thank him, returning the visit and to explain how the situation is developing [on Lesbos].”

The volunteer rescuer said the Pope congratulated the Proactiva team for their work and said they were in his prayers and that the current crisis situation is "no humanitarian crisis,” but a crisis “of humanity".--Vatican Radio

http://www.heraldmalaysia.com

UNHCR believes ‘considerable opportunities’ for refugees to return home

KUALA LUMPUR: In light of political developments in Myanmar, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) believes there will be “considerable opportunities” for many of the refugees from there to return home.

UNHCR Malaysia representative Richard Towle (pic)however said that this would not apply to the Rohingya refugees who have a much greater challenge in proving their legal relationship with Myanmar.

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He, however, believed that the non-Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are coming towards the end of a cycle for their need for refugee protection.

“At the moment it’s a bit early to say what impact the changes in Myanmar would have on refugee movements, but what we can say already is that the direction Myanmar is moving in is broadly positive for a large number of people who are living here in Malaysia.

“Our assessment is that in the coming few years there will be considerable opportunities for people to go home,” Towle told The Star Online in an interview. 

Myanmar’s lawmakers last week elected Htin Kyaw, a close aide and longtime friend of Aung San Suu Kyi, to become the country’s first civilian president in decades in a historic moment for the formerly junta-run nation.

As of February there are 144,380 refugees from Myanmar, comprising some 53,700 Rohingyas, 44,870 Chins, 12,220 Myanmar Muslims, 7,150 Rakhines, Arakanese and other ethnicities.

Towle said the baseline measuring point is whether the refugees would face persecution if they went back.

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“People can’t stay as refugees forever. It’s not fair on the host state and it’s not what people want anyway,” said Towle saying that Vietnamese refugees for example returned home in 1995 after conditions improved.

He added that they were discussing with the governments of Malaysia, Myanmar and these ethnic groups on their future pathways.

He, however, said the return of the refugees will not “happen overnight” and that it is important to have a strategic action plan for the management of these groups.

“What we are trying to do at the moment is encourage the government of Malaysia to provide a transitional period for these groups to work lawfully here in Malaysia.

“If they are registered here in Malaysia lawfully and can work lawfully for a temporary period, this will give all sides the breathing room to negotiate a more durable solution including returns,” he said adding this was a natural development.

http://www.thestar.com.my

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Malaysia, UNHCR to form joint task force over fake refugee cards

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Malaysia and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have agreed to immediately set up a joint task force to overcome the problem of fake UNHCR cards issued by unscrupulous syndicates.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said among the immediate measures to be taken by the task force was asking all UNHCR card holders to re-register themselves with the body.

He said the agreement was reached at a meeting with UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner Volker Turk in Bali yesterday.

“We agreed to add more security features to the existing UNHCR card and that re-registration of genuine card holders should be done,” he told reporters after attending the official opening of the Bali Process in Bali today.

The Malaysian authorities have found that syndicates have been issuing fake UNHCR cards, one of the factors for the influx of foreign immigrants including those not recognised as refugees, into Malaysia.

Up to August 2015, there were 153,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia and the majority of them, at 93 percent, were from Myanmar and the rest from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Palestine, among the countries.

The fake UNCHR card-issuing syndicates were detected since a few years ago when the authorities arrested several foreign immigrants who were carrying the UNHCR card but during investigation, the cards were found to be fake and they admitted to having entered Malaysia illegally.

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Cooperation on accepting Syrian migrants

Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia and the UNHCR also agreed to cooperate in accepting the arrival of Syrian migrants to the country as was announced by the prime minister at the 70th United Nations General Assembly in New York in October, last year.

“I will also be chairing a high-level committee meeting on these Syrian migrants soon,” he said.

When delivering the nation’s statement in conjunction with the Bali Process, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said Malaysia urged human traffickers to be taken to court, and to see whether the legal provisions of the countries concerned could be enforced together.

He said all member states of the Bali Process wanted practical solutions to the real causes of human trafficking and smuggling of migrants as the crime was increasingly worrying.

“The criminals have managed to dupe various groups, especially women and children, and they carry out this activity as a lucrative business.

“So, concerted efforts are needed to prevent these criminals from bribing enforcement officers in order to conduct their illegal activity.”

Ahmad Zahid said the meeting in Bali also wanted an integrated approach to ensure that the source countries be responsible for their citizens’ action of entering other countries illegally.

“I am confident the willingness of all countries to share their information and experience to combat human trafficking and smuggling could result in the creation of a data base for a concerted strategy,” he said.

The deputy prime minister said a long-term approach was necessary to eradicate this criminal activity as it could create various other problems, including threatening a country’s security and public order.

The one-day Sixth Ministerial Conference of the Bali Process on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime (Bali Process) was jointly chaired by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and his Australian counterpart Julia Bishop.

It was participated by 48 member states and representatives of the UNHCR, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), among others, as well as observers.

The conference is a major platform in tackling the issue in the Asia-Pacific region.

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Agreement to impose tighter border controls

Ahmad Zahid said the source countries attending the conference agreed to impose tighter control at their respective border areas, to prevent the human trafficking and smuggling problem from being shouldered by other countries.

“We admit it’s not easy to curb this, especially stopping people who want to migrate to earn a living in another country, as the human trafficking victims don’t regard themselves as victims but economic opportunity seekers.”

He said as an additional measure to prevent illegals from sneaking into the country, the government would tighten security control by erecting or rebuilding fences along the border in the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak.

Besides that, he said, the authorities would be using drones and satellite for surveillance in the areas involved.

“We know that many rat trails (through which illegals enter the country) have become elephant trails and the border fences have been damaged, but we are taking action on this,” he added.

- Bernama

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UNHCR urged to implement security features on its cards

JITRA, March 20 — The Home Ministry has urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to implement security features on its cards.

The ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Alwi Ibrahim said, it was necessary to prevent UNHCR cards from being forged arbitrarily by immigrants and those claiming to be refugees.

“We at the ministry have the Immigration Department conducting constant enforcement together with the police to check whether their documents are genuine or not.

“But as of recently, there is the issue of refugees using forged UNHCR cards. So we will be working with the UNHCR to determine whether the cards are genuine or not, he told reporters after officiating at the Distinguished Service Award Ceremony of Malaysian Prisons Department North Zone 1, here today.

He was responding to media reports regarding the misuse of UNHCR cards, by using forged cards, to get jobs in the country.

In the meantime, Alwi said the dependence on foreign workers may be reduced by training and developing skills and aptitudes of prison inmates in various fields. This will help fill the void in manufacturing, agriculture and other employment sectors.

“Some 99 per cent of the 21,124 inmates who completed their rehabilitation programme outside prison from 2008 to 2015 managed to get jobs and last year’s statistics show that only 0.34 per cent went back to crime,” he said. — Bernama

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UNHCR needs to review and revise its card issuance programme — Khen Han Ming 

MARCH 21 — The latest media exposé on forged UNHCR cards in Malaysia is nothing new, as issues and concerns pertaining to the forgery of UN refugee cards are also prevalent in many other countries outside Malaysia.

This, however, sheds some light into a dark realm of gross neglect and blatant disregard for the existing loopholes in the system that has been for umpteen times abused and exploited with possible involvement of corruption which has yield its toll on the problem which could be managed in a more proactive and systematic manner.

For one, genuine personal data of refugees are being leaked to syndicates by irresponsible parties and this enabled multiple cloning of bona-fide identities which could be traced back to the database.

It is a major concern in the security community that the forged refugee identity cards could pose a serious threat to both domestic and national security as the modus operandi in the black market seems to show a severe lack of integrity and control in the entire system.

We need to consider the numerous risks involved, from different angles of criminal activities, subversion to terrorism which is equally detrimental to the personal safety of the actual data owner themselves due to the mass exploitation of their personal details for use by syndicates in reproduction of these forged refugee cards.

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The Malaysian authorities, on the other hand, should consider a more proactive approach in managing this issue.

Being a non-signatory member of the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention, it is the prerogative of the government to stand firm on urging the UNHCR to enhance the card’s security features and possibly conduct a crackdown to weed out illegal immigrants and pressure the world body to review and revise its card issuance programme.

The UNHCR should review its entire database against the total number of cards issued, which should be jointly collaborated with Home Ministry in order to enable an integrated database for reference and conduct of due diligence checks and records available for lookup by the authorities.

After all, we’ve been hearing about all the aggressive policing measures to safeguard our country’s state of security, which include measures on documenting illegal immigrants and foreign workers. Why should fake refugees and asylum seekers be exempted from this process and treated with full immunity at the end of the day?

* Khen Han Ming is principal consultant at JK Associates.

** This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.

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Possibility refugees can gain employment in MALAYSIA

High-level government committee looking into five areas refugees could be hired, namely in sectors deemed “appropriate, safe and easily monitored” by the authorities.

PETALING JAYA: A high-level government committee will meet stakeholders to discuss the possibility of permitting refugees in the country to be employed.

Quoting sources, the New Straits Times (NST) reported that the committee will look into five areas where foreigners accorded refugee status by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), could be hired, namely in sectors deemed “appropriate, safe and easily monitored” by the authorities.

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It is believed the committee will look at reviving a shelved pilot project between, among others, the Human Resources and Home Ministries involving the issuance of special employment permits, especially for the Rohingyas.

“If the plan goes through and the refugees are allowed to work, law enforcers will be able to weed out the tens of thousands of illegal immigrants carrying fake UNHCR card,” the daily wrote.

The paper also quoted Immigration Director-General Sakib Kusmi as stating the Cabinet had considered allowing UNHCR cardholders to work in the country.

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Meanwhile in a statement issued to the NST, the Malaysian chapter of the UN body said it was open to having a database for those whose presence here it had sanctioned, and make the database accessible to the authorities.

UNHCR said it was convinced the best way to manage the issue of criminality was to find a common registration system, where it, along with the government could identify the protection needs of refugees.

“We believe that a scheme allowing genuine refugees to be registered in Malaysia, including the opportunity to work lawfully, will have a remarkable and positive impact on both quality of protection for refugees and help the government address its legitimate concerns about criminality and security that pervade the lives of all undocumented migrants in Malaysia,” the statement read.

UNHCR also said it had invested heavily in tightening procedures and ensuring the integrity of its documents were not easily compromised.

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Yesterday the NST reported that fake UNHCR cards, complete with security features, could be easily obtained for a mere RM120.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim also hit out at the world refugee orqanisation over the issuance of refugee cards, claiming it was the reason Malaysia was flooded with immigrants.

The minister also alleged the international body had never bothered to consult the government before issuing the said documents.

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Female refugees harassed and they suffer in silence

Traumatic experiences, violence and pervasive persecutions have driven millions of women out of their homes, forcing them to leave their country and go to unwelcome lands, where there is little or no protection. From the moment they flee their countries, the violence and persecution continue until they reach their destination. Upon arrival in Malaysia, their dreams are dashed even further. They are stripped of their rights as a woman, as a mother and as a worker. They suffer in silence. 

 Often labelled as illegal, refugee women encounter oppression, imprisonment and harassment. They are subjected to a wide range of human rights violations. They have no access to legal protection or the right to work. Their children have no access to education, as enshrined in the Constitution and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Malaysia has also ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which guarantees equal rights and treatment to refugee women. The government has not signed nor ratified the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

 Tenaganita has documented countless reports of abuses and exploitation. With no legal protection, these refugee women are at high risk of gender-based violence, harassment, arbitrary arrest, detention and extortion. Women and young girls are raped and robbed of their innocence. These women are silenced by fear, for their status deprives them of access to legal redress. Refugee women share and bear the burden of supporting their families, most times in the absence of their husbands. As the need for survival obligates them to find incomes, they are forced to work in unregulated and informal sectors of the economy, known as 3D jobs (dangerous, demanding and dirty). 

Without legal documentation and identity, the fate of refugee women workers is often at the mercy of their employers, who withhold salaries, sexually harass and exploit them. If the women were to report these crimes, they would be at risk of arrest, detention and deportation. Refugee communities have been in Malaysia for almost four decades. Without access to education, the level of illiteracy among refugee women and young girls is increasing. 

Tenaganita sees the need to start a project where their skills and capacities can be boosted through training and livelihood projects to support their families. A few Myanmar refugee women groups in Malaysia have organised themselves by creating micro enterprises to market their handicraft and items. In 2010, Tenaganita, along with a few Myanmar refugee women leaders, set up a cooperative known as Tanma, which comprised three groups of different ethnic communities: Mang Tha, Kaoprise and Chin Women’s Organisation. 

Tanma means “strong. The women stand together in developing their activities with the support of local and international stakeholders to improve their livelihood. This cooperative not only provides them revenue to support their families, but it also shows their resilience. Yesterday, on International Women’s Day, Tanma and Tenaganita organised a photography exhibition portraying the beautiful identity of these women. The purpose was to share, celebrate and validate the achievements and courage of these forgotten and unsung heroines. Their identity as strong and brave women of their land, yet firm, gentle and loving, is displayed and amplified through the proud wearing of their traditional costumes. 

 This year’s celebration of International Women’s Day emphasises the agenda of gender equality and empowerment for women and girls. Tenaganita urges the government to recognise refugees in the country as human beings with rights and dignity, by signing and ratifying the UN Convention. We call on the government to stop arbitrary arrests and detentions, and to give them their right to work, health and education. Tenaganita calls on Malaysians to respect refugees and give them respect, support and dignity. They have been forced to flee for their lives from their home country because they are persecuted on the basis of their beliefs or ideology or dissent. They did not choose to come to our country to live off our prosperous economy. They came here in hope that their lives will be safer than it is back home. GLORENE A. DAS, Executive director, Tenaganita Women’s Force, Kuala Lumpur

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

German cops bust people-smuggling ring through Malaysia

German police have arrested 17 suspected members of a people-smuggling ring in raids in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Baden-Wuerttemberg. ― File pic

Nov 5 ― German police yesterday broke up an international ring of people smugglers whose members used falsified documents to bring foreigners into Germany, mainly by air, for a fee of up to €10,000 (RM46,612) per person.

A police statement said that 17 suspected members of the ring had been arrested in raids in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Baden-Wuerttemberg.

The ring provided foreign nationals, mostly Syrians and Lebanese, with falsified documents such as residency permits and travel documents.

The smugglers came to the attention of the authorities after several people making their way to Germany through Malaysia on falsified documents were arrested at Kuala Lumpur airport, which was used by the criminal ring as a transit port.

A 10-member Lebanese family travelling to Germany on false documents via Kuala Lumpur was arrested. The family was allowed to continue its journey to Germany on humanitarian grounds after it contacted the UN refugee office and the German embassy in the Malaysian capital.

The main suspect is a 24-year-old man who was arrested in the western city of Essen. Handguns, machetes, swords, laser aimers and passports were found in his possession.

Some 570 law enforcement officials and policemen took part in the operation.

Germany has become the favoured destination for hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing conflicts and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. ― Reuters

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Why Myanmar elections are important to Thailand

BANGKOK: — THE NOVEMBER 8 election is not only important for Myanmar but also for Thailand, as political changes in this neighbouring country have always had an impact on this part of the region.

This election is important and crucial because this is the first time in 25 years that Myanmar’s two major rival political parties – the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) – will contest against each other.

Electoral competition is good because it will give Myanmar people a choice when it comes to votes, unless history repeats itself and the NLD and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi are once again not handed power if they win.

Suu Kyi was not handed power in 1990 despite winning by a landslide, a move that is seen as a repercussion of the 1988 crackdown on an uprising, that eventually brought on economic difficulties and forced millions of people to leave and seek better lives overseas. Unfortunately though, most of these asylum seekers ended up in Thailand’s refugee camps as well as factories, construction sites, fishing trawlers and other places in the Kingdom.

The 2010 election, which the NLD was prohibited from, put President Thein Sein in power and made the military-backed USDP the ruling party. Thein Sein, however, has introduced many reforms and worked on developing the political system by allowing the NLD to participate in the 2012 by-election. Now, the much-loved Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has some space in the field of politics and is able to play a role. Myanmar is also relaxing some of its laws, and many dissidents are able to return home.

However, Thein Sein has either intentionally or unintentionally not completed his reform task and might just be leaving behind a lot of time bombs to explode after the polls. Myanmar’s 2008 Constitution still prohibits people who are married to a foreigner, like Suu Kyi, to lead the country, and the military will still maintain a 25-per-cent quota in parliament.

So, what happens if the NLD wins, but the USDP insists on allying with the military and other minor parties to form the government? There is a high possibility that the NLD will defeat the USDP, but it will still have less than half the total seats in parliament required to form a government – though the two sides may come up with a deal to solve this problem.

Then there’s the peace process. Thein Sein still hasn’t completed that job, as only eight out of the initially announced 15 armed ethnic groups agreed to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement on October 15. This means armed conflict is still continuing in many areas, notably along the border with Thailand.

People in war-torn areas will have little or no chance to cast their ballots on November 8 due to security issues. It is still unclear when the remaining groups will agree to a truce so people in conflict-ridden areas have a chance to participate in politics.

Peace in Myanmar is really important for Thailand, as hundreds of thousands of people have been waiting in border camps for more than two decades. Previous Thai governments had sent many signals to Nay Pyi Taw, seeking to settle the problem with refugees, but there has been no sign of readiness.

Unless the new election brings political stability and peace to Myanmar, the ethnic groups will keep fighting, and people will keep leaving to seek asylum elsewhere. The Myanmar-Thai borders will never be clear and safe, while economic development, special economic zone, Asean connectivity and many other projects between the two countries will never become a reality.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com

Human traffickers explore new routes to Malaysia after Thai crackdown, say aid groups

Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees are transported to a navy boat where they will be taken to mainland Malaysia, after they landed at Pantai Pasir Berdengung beach in Langkawi, Kedah, May 15, 2015. — Reuters pic

BANGKOK, Oct 21 — People smugglers are exploring new routes to Malaysia after a crackdown on trafficking in Thailand with no large migrant boat departures from Myanmar and Bangladesh in nearly six months, aid agencies said.

Rising numbers of Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution were setting off from Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state and Bangladesh in small boats and transferring to larger boats that could carry more than 1,000 people each.

But a Thai crackdown on human traffickers in May halted journeys by large smuggling boats across the Bay of Bengal to Thailand and Malaysia with activists only hearing unconfirmed rumours of a few small boats.

Aid agencies, however, fear the halt in sea crossings does not indicate an end to people trafficking but means smuggling gangs are exploring new routes.

“We don’t see new ones, but we know different routes are being studied so they don’t have to be moved by boat,” said Chris Lewa, founder of the Arakan Project, a rights project focusing on the Rohingya.

“Some boats may leave, but there is definitely a strong impact of the Thai crackdown ... The kind of movement and recruitment happening last year is not happening this year. It’s a lot more clandestine.”

Lewa said new routes could be by air or overland and aid workers were now monitoring the area to identify the shift.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) had warned that “the number of people leaving on smugglers’ boats in the Bay of Bengal has increased in recent years, and that trend is likely to continue unless the root causes are addressed”.

Halt in boat departures

Throughout 2013 and 2014, activists tallied at least 1,000 people — and often several thousand — leaving each month from Rakhine state andBangladesh.

The number peaked a year ago this month at more than 13,000 people, but stopped in May amid a boat crisis and the Thai crackdown.

“There have been zero since May,” said Jeff Labovitz, who heads the regional office of the International Organisation for Migration. “There has been a fundamental change. There are no more big boats sailing.”

But aid workers say the demand is still there.

The persecution of the stateless Rohingya in Myanmar has worsened this year and elections next month may bring in a new, hardline Buddhist partywhich may treat them still more harshly.

Communal clashes in 2012 in Rakhine state forced 140,000 Rohingya from their homes, and many are virtual prisoners in camps or in segregated villages, subject to restrictions on travel and, in some areas, access to healthcare and education.

In February the Rohingya were granted temporary “white card” identification cards so they could take part in the November 8 election, but after Buddhist protests the government revoked the cards, effectively denying Rohingya the right to vote.

“They are politically disenfranchised. The situation in Rakhine is worse than a year ago,” Lewa said. “The push factor is stronger than last year, but the open door to Thailand now seems to be closed.”

The Thai coast — not far from popular tourist areas — was a disembarkation point for many Rohingya smuggled by boat. They were then taken further south and over a porous border into Malaysia.

However, traffickers began diverting migrants to secret camps near the Thai-Malaysia border, holding them for ransom and killing and torturing those whose families could not pay up. Others died of disease and neglect.

After the discovery in May of dozens of graves on the Thai-Malaysia border, smugglers abandoned thousands of migrants at sea to avoid being caught by Thai and Malaysian investigators.

Julia Mayerhofer, interim executive director of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), said the root cause of discontent was still there in Myanmar.

Amnesty International, which released a report today about the region’s trafficking crisis, pressed Myanmar to stop violence against the Rohingya by state security forces, and to amend its laws to grant the Rohingya citizenship.

“People are still desperate to leave. If you block one way, people will find another way, and that might be more dangerous and more risky for the people,” Mayerhofer said. — Reuters

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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.