Recognise all refugees

Some 3,000 Syrians will get special treatment when they arrive in Malaysia, so how about extending that approach to refugees here?

I FIRST became interested in the plight of refugees in Malaysia about three years ago when I visited a learning centre run by a group of Myanmar refugees in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur. Operating from a cramped shophouse, they cater for several hundred students.

I met a few of their teachers. They were volunteers and none of them are qualified teachers. But they all share the passion to help the refugee kids get education. They teach at the learning centre because our Government does not allow refugee children to attend public schools.

That encounter led me to meet with more people who are just as passionate in wanting to help refugee kids get education. I soon discovered that the learning centres in the Pudu area provide mostly primary level education. Not many cater for those who have reached secondary school age.

And that led me into many more meetings to discuss the establishment of Ideas Academy, a charitable learning centre catering for refugee youths aged 12 to 17. Ideas Academy now has 66 students, all very eager to secure a better future for themselves.

I am still navigating through the bureaucracies to obtain a proper legal status for our charity learning centre. The Government officers I met thus far have been very helpful and generous with advice. Clearly they, too, want to help.

I was elated when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced in his speech at the recent United Nations General Assembly that Malaysia will take in 3,000 refugees from Syria. This is a positive step to assist those who need our help.

Najib’s speech was particularly heart-warming. He was reported to say that over the years Malaysia has taken “many people fleeing war, starvation and persecution”. Najib went on to say that Malaysia currently has “hundreds of thousands of irregular migrants, and we took in more earlier this year when there was a dire humanitarian situation in the Andaman Sea”.

The Prime Minister also called for the world to “respect our common humanity” because according to him “it is only when we transcend the silos of race and faith, only when we look at images of desperate migrants, the victims of extremists, and those whose lives are degraded by hunger and poverty – and see not strangers, but our brothers and sisters, that we will act as our better selves”.

Following that speech, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that Malaysia will provide the incoming Syrian refugees with shelter, education opportunities and temporary jobs. The Home Ministry will also issue special identity cards for them, whereas we have never had that kind of suggestion for those refugees already here.

These are all very good announcements. The Syrian refugees will get special treatment when they arrive in Malaysia. And I am very pleased with this.

Yet I am also very confused. I am confused by the discrimination inherent in all these announcements. Superficially, it feels like our Government wants to create different categories even among the refugees.

The website of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says that as of the end of September 2015, there are 153,850 registered refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia. Of these, 142,630 are from Myanmar. And there are some 33,740 children below the age of 18. Less than 40% of those who are of school age have access to formal education.

I have also been told repeatedly that these refugees live in squalid conditions, with several families sharing overcrowded flats or low-cost houses. I understand that it is almost impossible for them to obtain employment legally.

If they do get a job, it is likely to be in areas described as 3D – dirty, dangerous and difficult. Many also fall prey to the underworld and criminal gangs.

They do not have any identity cards issued to them by our Government. In fact, recently in August our Government even warned the UNHCR to stop issuing refugee cards to the refugees without the consent of the Malaysian Government, threatening the agency with police investigation.

Why is there a double standard? We have hundreds of thousand of refugees who are already here, mainly from our neighbour Myanmar. Yet we focus on those who are not yet here.

We do not allow them to get a job, let alone care about how they will pay for their daily food. We stop their children from getting education. Our current policies seem to be intentionally designed to ensure they live difficult lives.

But then we took the podium in New York to tell the world that we are a proudly humane country because we will bring in 3,000 new refugees, and treat them distinctly differently from those who are already here.

I struggle to understand the logic used by those who displayed these incoherent attitudes.

However, rather than twisting our brains to understand the flawed logic, allow me to make a practical proposal to move forward.

Since we have now found our conscience, how about if all the provisions announced for the Syrian refugees are also accorded to those who are already here today? We have enough discrimination in the country. There is no reason to discriminate the refugees too.

Wan Saiful Wan Jan is chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (www.ideas.org.my). 

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.

Myanmar’s Refugee Problem: It’s Not Just the Rohingya

It’s Not Just the Rohingya, Other ethnic groups from Myanmar are facing an increasingly difficult situation too.

By Kirsten McConnachie

October 14, 2015

This article is part of “Southeast Asia: Refugees in Crisis,” an ongoing series by The Diplomat for summer and fall 2015 featuring exclusive articles from scholars and practitioners tackling Southeast Asia’s ongoing refugee crisis. All articles in the series can be found here.

This summer’s boat abandonments made the world aware of the plight faced by the Rohingya. This was important and overdue recognition of a desperate situation. However, the Rohingya are not Myanmar’s only refugees. Other ethnic groups from Myanmar are facing an increasingly difficult situation, trapped in exile by a continuing fear of persecution but finding their supporters and sources of protection slipping away. What will the future hold for them, and what must be done to make return a real possibility?

During decades of militarization in Myanmar, millions of people left the country illegally in search of security and a better life elsewhere. The vast majority became undocumented migrant workers in Thailand, Malaysia and beyond. A much smaller population is registered as refugees with the UNHCR: around 130,000 people in camps in Thailand, around 150,000 in Malaysia and more than 10,000 in India. To varying degrees, these people rely on international aid and assistance to support their lives in exile. Refugees in camps in Thailand are forbidden to leave the camp and are entirely dependent on external aid for food, shelter and other necessities of survival. In India and Malaysia, refugees are not confined to camps and can find (informal) employment to survive, but they continue to depend on the UNHCR and other organizations for protection and other assistance.

Currently, refugees in these countries find themselves in a perplexing situation. After decades in which the international community was united in condemning Myanmar, the political climate has shifted. Myanmar is no longer an international pariah but is seen as a country in transition, a country whose former rulers have freely divested themselves of power in favor of a path to democracy and equality. This perception has had important consequences for refugees outside the country who have become an inconvenient truth rendered invisible by the good news story of transition and transformation. One indication of this is the disappearance of funding for refugee programming. In Thailand, The Border Consortium is operating with a large funding shortfall and struggling to attract donor support. My own interviews with refugees in India and Malaysia have found a similar theme: “We used to receive funding from Australia/Norway/Prague but now it has stopped,” one said. “I used to be an interpreter with an NGO but now they have reduced their Burmese staff,” another noted.

Myanmar’s refugees also seem to be viewed with a more critical eye than previously. In Thailand, the government has made it plain that repatriation of refugees will be a priority if Myanmar’s elections in November are deemed to be successful. In Malaysia (another country with deepening economic interests with Myanmar) pressure is similarly building, with refugees repeatedly told by both national officials and international agency staff that Myanmar has transformed and they should return home. Across countries there appears to be a growing sense – bordering on suspicion – that many of Myanmar’s exiles are no longer “real” refugees but opportunists making demands on a system of international protection that they no longer require.

The fundamental question is: has Myanmar really changed? Most, if not all, refugees would say no. They have little trust in Myanmar’s government, none at all in its military – and fail to see any meaningful separation between the two. Even the most optimistic Myanmar analysts recognize that pockets of the country remain deeply problematic: the worsening persecution of Rohingya and Myanmar Muslims, the ongoing conflict in Kachin and Shan states, the brutal assault on the Kokang. To recognize this and remain confident that refugees can return requires dividing Myanmar into its constituent parts to determine that a fear of persecution continues to exist in Rakhine State but not in Chin State; in Kachin State but not in Karenni State. Of course, it is certainly feasible that one region of a country is safe for refugee repatriation while another is not. Myanmar may seem like just such a country, given its division of territory by ethnic group. However, it is also a country where a single regime has dominated the nation – and, more importantly, where a single sensibility has dominated governance.

For the past fifty years, under successive military juntas, Myanmar has followed a strategic project of Burmanization, i.e. the promotion of a single religion (Buddhism), language (Burmese) and culture (Burman). At its mildest, this is a policy of cultural assimilation. At its worst, it has verged on – and arguably pursued – ethnic cleansing. Ceasefires with ethnic armed groups have reduced military activity and human rights violations in several ethnic states. But the treatment of Rohingya shows the continued potency of Burmese nationalism, and highlights that Myanmar is no rainbow democracy but a country with deep-seated racism and discrimination that is entrenched in existing law and pursued through new laws.

Viewed in that light, it is much clearer to see why many refugees of the non-Burman ethnic nationalities continue to feel a risk of persecution on return. Depending on the outcome of November’s election, it is possible that more people will be willing to venture back home. The coming months therefore have the potential to be crucial in building confidence in Myanmar’s political future and in the future for returnees. Here, there is an important link with the peace process between the Myanmar government and the ethnic armed groups.

To date, the peace talks have been almost totally silent on the issue of displacement, though refugees and IDPs are overwhelmingly from the non-Burman ethnic groups and their future choices will certainly be shaped by the outcome of that process. It is an immensely complex peace process, both with respect to the number of participants (sixteen ethnic armed groups attempting to negotiate in unison through the NCCT) and the portfolio of issues to be addressed: constitutional reform; federalism; political structures and institutions of governance; control over natural resources; military reform; electoral reform and many more.

Addressing displacement has not yet been a priority but the peace process is vital for successful refugee return, both to convince refugees that the political environment has truly changed and to remove existing barriers to return. It must also be recognized that a successful return process has important implications for the peace process. If Myanmar is truly moving towards democracy, returning refugees can help embed that process and contribute to developing the country. But a poorly managed return process could lead to disputes over jobs, land and housing and ultimately create new problems of crime and political instability.

After some months of apparent deadlock, the peace negotiations have seen dramatic developments, with a split in the NCCT negotiation bloc and the signing of a ceasefire by eight ethnic armed groups, including the KNU. These signings are controversial – even within their own parties – and the failure of the “nationwide ceasefire” process to reach a truly nationwide agreement hints at some of the changes and challenges that lie ahead. Hopefully, possibilities for progress will be clearer after next month’s election.

At that stage, it will be essential to move beyond rhetoric. For peace-building to succeed, Myanmar’s ethnic nationalities need evidence of convincing, enduring change: a commitment to political autonomy in ethnic states, demilitarization of ethnic areas; investment in development and infrastructure; legal reforms to ensure an end to discrimination on grounds of ethnicity and religion. For return to succeed, Myanmar’s refugees need concrete guarantees: of security on return, of a restoration of identity documentation and citizenship status; of practical support to ensure future livelihoods. If these areas are addressed, it is likely that people will return gladly. Until these areas are addressed, many will remain trapped in a climate of dwindling protection.

Dr Kirsten McConnachie is Assistant Professor in law at the University of Warwick. Formerly a research fellow at the University of Oxford, she is the author of “Governing Refugees” (Routledge 2014) an analysis of camp governance and the administration of justice in refugee camps on the Thai-Myanmar border.

-http://thediplomat.com

The new access challenge is for refugees, says UNHCR

University access for refugees has become a major challenge for countries in Asia, which like Europe, are seeing an influx of more educated and aspirant refugees.

Unlike previous waves of refugees in Southeast Asia, refugees are arriving with higher levels of education, particularly from countries such as Syria and Iraq.

However their qualifications are not comparable qualifications to those required to access higher education in their country of asylum, a major conference on Global Access to Post-Secondary Education, or GAPS, heard last week. 

Receiving countries were so far unprepared for the influx of such refugees, according to Niaz Ahmad, programme officer in Malaysia for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, or UNHCR. Speaking at the GAPS conference held in Kuala Lumpur from 5-8 October, Ahmad said host countries had a problem of collecting data on refugees in their country, and therefore often had not begun to tackle the issue of providing education access. 

For example, it was not discovered that of a total of 152,700 ‘population of concern’ – a term used to describe refugee and displaced children – in Malaysia, only 15% were in school. This was in part because refugee children in Malaysia cannot attend publicly funded schools, he said. “We need better data on the refugee population so that we can understand their needs,” he said. 

UNHCR said refugees typically did not bring educational certificates with them, and often could not access public examinations in the receiving country for language and other reasons, and were therefore held back in their education. 

Refugees from countries in the Middle East “are well educated and want access to tertiary education, as their lives have been disrupted”, said Mimi Zarina Azmin, education associate at UNHCR’s education unit in Malaysia, a country with the second-highest number of refugees globally in an urban setting, according to UNHCR. 

Malaysia’s large refugee burden includes 100,000 refugees from Myanmar registered last year, and others from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well as the Middle East. 

“We are trying to encourage countries and institutions to provide scholarships,” Ahmad said.

Higher education institutions in Malaysia, including foreign branch campuses have granted access and scholarships to refugees, Ahmad told the conference. 

UNHCR in the past year had signed a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, with the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, International University of Malaya-Wales and the private Limkokwing University of Creative Technology – all of twhich provide instruction in English – to provide higher education access for young refugees, the first time this had been done in Malaysia.

“They not only granted access but also scholarships,” Ahmad said. Some 50 refugees will now be able to access higher education in Malaysia under this scheme, he said.

Malaysia earlier this month said it would accept some 3,000 Syrian refugees over the next three years, with an emphasis on professional and semi-skilled people. But UNHCR said it was precisely such people that needed access to universities for further study and for their families. 

Ahmad said the MOU’s with the universities in Malaysia could serve as a model for other countries to provide access to refugees.

Special ID cards to be issued to Syrian refugees

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia will be issuing special identification cards for the 3,000 Syrian refugees it will be accepting into the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Home Ministry, via the Immi­gration Department, would faci­litate the arrival of the refugees based on current laws.

"Usually, the UNHCR will work with the International Organisation of Migrants (IOM) to issue cards for the refugees who enter Malaysia.

"This time, we will issue iKad for the refugees which, among others, will have security elements embedded into the card for the use of the Immigration Department," he told a press conference after the Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Rise of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism (SAMMRRAVE) here yesterday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday that Malaysia would open its doors to 3,000 Syrian migrants over the next three years to help alleviate the refugee crisis. About four million Syrians have fled to neighbouring countries since the start of the civil war there in 2011.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia's move to accept Syrian refugees was based on humanitarian considerations.

"Malaysia has experience with this, when we accepted refugees from Bosnia, and we were not only praised for it, but the gesture paid off eventually," he said.

"Many Bosnian refugees who studied here during that period are now holding major positions in ­various fields back in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"They contribute to Malaysia's efforts to bringing up our good work on the international level."

Asked when the Syrian refugees would be arriving and where they would be placed, Dr Ahmad Zahid said it would be discussed with Najib first.

"We have not gone into the details yet. We are thinking of working with the private sector to help place them, give the refugee children an education and also to provide temporary jobs until they are able to return to Syria," he said.

On racism, Dr Ahmad Zahid warned that it could lead to ethnic cleansing if not deterred.

He said while racism only existed in small groups, radicalism, militancy and extremism were more widespread.

- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com

PM Najib calls for new solutions to address extremism, refugee crisis

Kuala Lumpur (dpa) - Malaysia will take in 3,000 Syrian refugees in the next three years as its share in alleviating the current refugee crisis, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrian migrants have fled Syria since the beginning of the year amid the war in the Middle-Eastern country.

"Malaysia will do its share, and open our doors to a further 3,000 Syrian migrants over the next three years," Najib said in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly.

"New international solutions are needed to deal with the migration crisis," he said. "The millions fleeing are people - like us. They should concern us all. We must respect our common humanity."

At present there are a little over 153,000 refugees in predominantly Muslim Malaysia, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The refugees in Malaysia comprise over 143,000 migrants from Myanmar, more than 3,000 Sri Lankans, 1,230 Pakistanis, 1,100 Somalis, 970Syrians, 860 Iraqis, 490 Iranians, 490 Palestinians and the rest from other countries, the UN agency said.

Are elections enough to bring about a true democracy?

On 8 November, Myanmar is due to hold a general election. Cardinal Charles Bo raises questions regarding key issues such as human rights, economic inequalities and social and religious discrimination

PAOLO AFFATATO, ROME

Everyone agrees that it will be a decisive step in the country’s history: the general election in Myanmar, which have just been announced for November 8th, will be the first since the country moved from military dictatorship to civil government in March 2011. 

This coming autumn’s election represents an important step along the country’s journey towards democracy and could definitively do away with the “generals in civilian clothes” who, as capable transformists, have stayed in power until now.

There are a total of 1,100 seats that need to be filled, including those of the two-chamber National Parliament and those of the provincial assemblies. The new Parliament will have the task of electing the President of the nation. 

There are two main contending parties: the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) which is currently in power and full of former members of the military and the National League for Democracy (NLD), headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi. The two parties are the same ones that came head to head in the last democratic elections the country held in 1990. Aung San Suu Kyi won with an overwhelming majority but the military junta nullified the election result.

The Catholic Church shares in the view that this is a “historic moment” for the Burmese people. In a majority Buddhist country, there is a small approximately 500,000-strong community of Catholics who form 1% of Myanmar’s population.

The Church asks one fundamental question: are elections sufficient in defining a democracy and determining how democratic a country is? It answers by highlighting how essential the following principles are amongst others: human rights, religious freedom, inter-denominational harmony, respect and peaceful co-existence with ethnic minorities, equal opportunities and fighting against poverty and economic and social inequalities.

On behalf of the Catholic Church, Burmese cardinal Charles Maung Bo, esteemed Archbishop of Yangon and an influential public figure who speaks frankly, raised doubts and offered hints for collective reflection and the common good of the country.

In a shrewd analysis of the situation, Bo mentioned “seven swords that pierce the nation’s heart”: a nepotistic capitalism, where a few families possess most of the wealth; a refusal to resolve conflicts through dialogue, opting for violence instead; unfair laws that continue to deprive farmers of their land; a criminal economy of drugs and human trafficking; discrimination against ethnic minorities; the destruction of natural resources and scarce educational and occupational opportunities for the poor.

With this in mind, the cardinal sent out a heartfelt appeal to political leaders, inviting them to be “good parents to the whole nation”. “In accordance with our traditions, as ‘parents of the people’, our political leaders have the right and duty to promote the wellbeing of everyone,” he said in a message published by Vatican news agency Fides.

The Archbishop of Yangon recalled the expectations of the Burmese people, with 50 years of dictatorship at an end and a democratic transition in full swing. Bo pointed to the hair-raising figures of the latest census: 40% of the Burmese population lives under the poverty line and in some states, such as Chin and Rakine, poverty levels reach 70%. And poverty generates the migration phenomenon: there are over 200,000 displaced people within the country and thousands more Burmese refugees in neighbouring countries.

The cardinal clearly stated that “political leaders did not fulfil our expectations: they have become the guardians of a nepotistic capitalism in an economy that is purely motivated by profit,” putting the interests of the élites above all else.

Another sore spot: leaders have been unable to control widespread acts of hatred and intolerance committed by extremist religious groups, for example, the violent “ethnic cleansing” campaign promoted by the nationalist Buddhist fringe against Rohingya Muslims. The conflict with ethnic minorities - given the nation’s mosaic of ethnicities - is another key question that has led to the hypothesis of a federal state being considered as a solution.

Bo raised some serious questions: “Will political leaders manage to avoid discriminating against citizens on the basis of ethnicity or religion? Will they be able to accept equality and build a united nation?”

Principles such as respect for the human rights of everyone, unity and equality are at the root of democracy. This is the message that the Church is trying to get across ahead of an electoral competition that could mark the start of a new era in Myanmar.

http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it

South Korea to Grant Work and Housing to 30 Myanmar Refugees as Part of U.N. Resettlement Program, Justice Ministry Says

The Ministry of Justice of South Korea confirmed on Monday that the government is taking steps to welcome 30 Myanmar refugees as part of a United Nations-led resettlement initiative for refugees.

In a Yonhap News Report on Sept. 15 it was said that the Ministry of Justice is screening eligible Myanmar refugees who are currently living in the Mae Sot camp near the Myanmar-Thailand border. 30 selected candidates will be brought into South Korea in December where they will be granted benefits and opportunities.

South Korea is the second Asian country to help facilitate the resettlement of refugees after Japan, which first accepted refugees in 2010, Jakarta Post writes.

This move from the South Korean government is in line with the resettlement program established by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, which was brought to life two years after South Korea's Refugee Act of 2013 took effect.

Under the resettlement program South Korea will bring in 30 refugees from Myanmar starting this year until 2017. "We will run a pilot project to admit 30 refugees every year until 2017 and see whether we will continue the program after monitoring the results," a representative from the Ministry of Justice said.

Those selected will be granted refugee status and F-2 visas that will allow them to live and work in South Korea.

To help them transition into their new lives, the refugees will undergo Korean language courses and trainings for employment for a period six to 12 months at a support center for refugees located in the west port city of Incheon. After they complete these programs, the refugees will then be transported to their official settlements.

KBS World Radio also reports that United Nation's resettlement program is now being implemented in 28 other countries including the U.S., Australia, and Japan.

The South Korean government chose refugees from Myanmar because its people allegedly share a similar cultural background, and also there is already an established Burmese community in the country.

Refugee resettled in Cambodia under Australia deal 'wants to go home'

Agence France Presse

PHNOM PENH: A Myanmar Rohingya refugee recently resettled in Cambodia in a controversial and lucrative deal with Australia wants to go home, a Cambodian official said Monday.

Under Canberra's hardline immigration policy, asylum-seekers who arrive by boat are denied resettlement in Australia and sent to Papua New Guinea and Nauru, even if they are genuine refugees.

In a deal that was condemned by rights groups and the U.N., Cambodia agreed to take in Australia's unwanted refugees in exchange for millions of dollars of aid over the next four years.

Only those who volunteer are resettled.

Cambodia received its first batch of Nauru-held refugees - three Iranians and one ethnic Rohingya man from Myanmar - in early June.

But the Rohingya, a 25-year-old man, wants to return to Myanmar because of "homesickness," General Khieu Sopheak, the spokesman for the Cambodian Interior Ministry, told AFP.

"We are not opposing this. After resettling here in Cambodia, he has been meeting with the Burmese (Myanmar) embassy. We received the news from the Burmese embassy that the man wants to go back home," he said, adding that his father visited the man recently.

He said the Myanmar embassy in Phnom Penh had sent letters to the Cambodian Foreign Ministry and Australian immigration authorities to seek their view on the Rohingya's wish to return.

"In principle, we have no objection to (his return to Myanmar)," Khieu Sopheak said.

He added that the man, who was born in 1990, is now "waiting for travelling documents from the Burmese embassy; then we will let him go."

After the four refugees arrived in Cambodia in June, they were whisked away to a new life at an undisclosed location with the help of the International Organization for Migration which is tasked with helping them settle in.

The media have not yet been allowed to meet or interview the four refugees.

The IOM said it was unable to comment on the case "due to the refugee's request for privacy and our own confidentiality rules."

Refugee advocates say asylum-seekers heading for Australia do not generally want to be sent to Cambodia, a country that has been criticized for its own record of helping refugees, particularly Vietnamese Montagnards who are often deported.

Conditions on Nauru and Papua New Guinea have also been heavily criticized.

Khieu Sopheak said the Rohingya man's desire to return to Myanmar would not affect the deal with Australia.

"The agreement is still valid, we will continue to take in more refugees. But for now we have to wait until the other three refugees integrate into Cambodian society before we are going to accept more refugees," he added.

Austria, Germany open borders to migrants

Migrants cross the Hungarian-Austrian border on foot after their arrival into a transit zone by public bus to the Hungarian border, between Hungarian Hegyeshalom and Austrian Nickeldorf. — AFP photo

Migrants walk across border from Hungary, more arriving in Budapest

HEGYESHALOM, Hungary/VIENNA: Austria and Germany threw open their borders to thousands of exhausted migrants yesterday, bussed to the Hungarian border by a right-wing government that had tried to stop them but was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers reaching Europe’s frontiers.

After days of confrontation and chaos, Hungary’s right-wing government deployed dozens of buses to take migrants from Budapest and pick up over 1,000 others – many of them refugees from the Syrian war – who had set off doggedly by foot on Friday down the main highway to Vienna.

Austria said it had agreed with Germany that it would allow the migrants access, waiving the rules of an asylum system brought to breaking point by Europe’s worst refugee crisis since the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s.

Hungary insisted the bus rides were a one-off, even as hundreds more migrants began gathering in Budapest yesterday, part of seemingly relentless surge through the Balkan peninsula from Turkey and Greece. Wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags against the rain, long lines of weary migrants, many carrying small, sleeping children, climbed off buses on the Hungarian side of the border and walked into Austria, receiving fruit and water from aid workers. Waiting Austrians held signs that read, ‘Refugees welcome.’

“We’re happy. We’ll go to Germany,” said a Syrian man who gave his name as Mohammed. Another, who declined to be named, said: “Hungary should be fired from the European Union. Such bad treatment.”

Bavarian state police said they expected the first refugees to arrive in Germany around midday (1000 GMT), with national rail operator Deutsche Bahn saying a special train with 500 refugees aboard due to reach Munich around lunchtime.

Hungary, the main entry point into Europe’s borderless Schengen zone for migrants heading northwards through the Balkans, has taken a hard line, vowing to seal its southern frontier within days. Hungarian officials have also painted the crisis as a defence of Europe’s prosperity, identity and ‘Christian values’ against an influx of mainly Muslim migrants.

For days, several thousand camped outside Budapest’s main railway station, where trains to western Europe were cancelled as the government insisted all those entering Hungary be registered and their asylum applications processed in the country as per EU rules.

But on Friday, in separate rapid-fire developments, hundreds broke out of a teeming camp on Hungary’s frontier with Serbia, escaped a stranded train, and took to the highway by foot led by a one-legged Syrian refugee and chanting “Germany, Germany!”

Citing traffic safety, Hungary said it would supply some 100 buses to take them to the Austrian border. But the move marked an admission that the government had lost control in the face of large numbers determined to reach the wealthier nations of northern and western Europe at the end of an often perilous journey from war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. — AFP

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com

Rohingya not allowed to work in Malaysia, says Home Minister

BY MUZLIZA MUSTAFA

Published: 4 June 2015 1:33 PM

Today the Home Ministry says Rohingya Muslims in Malaysia are not allowed to work. – Reuters filepic, June 4, 2015.The Rohingya Muslims in Malaysia are not allowed to work in the country as it is against the law, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

He said Putrajaya has no plans to issue working permits to the refugees.

“The Rohingya have no right to work. Even if they have UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) cards they are not allowed to work here. Not by law,” said Zahid this morning.

Malaysia, on humanitarian grounds, recently allowed more than 1,000 boat people comprising Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi migrants to come ashore after their boats were abandoned by people smugglers in the open sea.

They were placed in a temporary shelter in Kedah.

In a joint statement after the ministerial meeting on irregular movement of people in Southeast Asia in Kuala Lumpur on May 20, Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to 7,000 migrants still at sea.

They also agreed to offer them temporary shelter provided that the resettlement and repatriation process will be done in one year by the international community.

Despite allowing the Rohingya to stay here, Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugees Convention. As such, there is no legal mechanism in place to give the refugees any form of status.

Because of this, most of them had to work illegally to feed their families.

The Rohingya were also used as cheap labour and vulnerable to ill-treatment from their “employers”. They were faced with constant harassment and detention.

The Rohingya have been seeking refuge in the country since the 80s, with the UNHCR stating that there are 36,290 of them here (as of April 2014). There are perhaps a few thousand more unaccounted for.

While UNHCR provides documentation, and support for the most vulnerable among them, a lot of support comes from the community itself. – June 4, 2015.

Recognise the rights and dignity of asylum seekers and refugees, and eliminate human trafficking

JUNE 20 — The Malaysian Bar acknowledges the indomitable spirit and courage of all refugees on World Refugee Day 2015.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ("UNHCR") in Malaysia reported that as at July 2014 there were 47,352 asylum seekers (pending cases), 98,207 refugees, 40,000 stateless persons, and 80,000 individuals who do not fall into any of these other categories, residing in Malaysia. This brings the population of concern to a staggering total of 265,559.[1]

Unlike economic migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Malaysia are often victims of various forms of persecution, oppression and deprivation. They are subjected to harassment, extortion, physical abuse or assault and ill treatment. These persons live in an environment of fear, and insecurity.

Our laws do not accord asylum seekers and refugees due recognition, care and protection. They are treated as "illegal immigrants" under the Immigration Act 1959/1963.[2] Thus, they are exposed to arrest, detention, whipping and deportation. This unacceptable state of affairs is compounded by Malaysia's obdurate reticence to ratify the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees ("the 1951 Convention") and the 1967 Protocol Relating (“the 1967 Protocol”) to the Status of Refugees, both which are instruments encapsulating customary international law in relation to the recognition of the socio-economic rights of refugees and the provision of humanitarian assistance and social integration.

Thus, asylum seekers and refugees are prohibited from seeking lawful employment. They are therefore forced to support themselves on a casual engagement basis without any lawfully binding employment contract. This makes them vulnerable to exploitation and discrimination as regards the non-payment of wages, long working hours, and harsh working conditions.

The Malaysian Bar renews its call to the Government to ratify the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol; to put in place a suitable legal and administrative framework for dealing with refugees and asylum seekers; and to work closely with stakeholders such as UNHCR Malaysia, civil society organisations, and the Bar towards achieving holistic and humane solutions for them.

The Malaysian Bar also calls on the government to ensure that a proper recruitment and monitoring system under the Ministry of Human Resources is put in place to ensure that asylum seekers and refugees are accorded basic employment rights in respect of wages, fair working hours, off-days, medical benefits, and workplace health and safety protection. In this regard, the various measures and recommendations contained in the proposal entitled "Developing a Comprehensive Policy Framework for Refugees and Asylum Seekers", which was prepared by the Malaysian Bar in 2011, should be immediately implemented.[3] This will lead to an overall improvement in the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.

The Malaysian Bar also wishes to highlight the importance of a regional approach in dealing with concerns regarding asylum seekers and refugees. In this connection, a deeply worrying aspect of the problem is that of human trafficking and migrant smuggling. All nations in this region share a common responsibility to confront and deal with this scourge. The recent reported allegation that the Government of Australia paid human traffickers to return 65 asylum seekers to Indonesia is very shocking.[4] Such irresponsible conduct, if proven, deserves condemnation and must attract criminal prosecution. It certainly militates against the fight to eradicate human trafficking and migrant smuggling in this region.

World Refugee Day assumes particular significance to Malaysia this year due to the recent boat-people saga off our shores and the discovery of mass graves as well as “death camps” at the Perlis-Thailand border.[5] This was an unmitigated tragedy of human suffering and loss of lives. It has brought into sharp focus Malaysia’s approach towards asylum seekers, refugees, as well as the perpetrators and victims of human trafficking and migrant smuggling. It is a timely reminder to the Government to respect the rights and dignity of asylum seekers and refugees.

[1] “2015 UNHCR subregional operations profile – South-East Asia”, UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency (accessed at http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e4884c6.html# on 17 June 2015)

[2] Immigration Act 1959/1963 [Act 155] section 55E(7)

[3] Bar Council Malaysia Memorandum on “Developing a Comprehensive Policy Framework for Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Malaysia” dated 20 June 2011, developed at the Roundtable on Developing a Comprehensive Policy Framework for Refugees and Asylum-Seekers organised by the Bar Council on 23 June 2009.

[4] “Prime Minister Tony Abbott dodges questions on people-smuggler payment claims”, Sydney Morning Herald, 14 June 2015 (accessed at http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/prime-minister-tony-abbott-dodges-questions-on-peoplesmuggler-payment-claims-20150614-ghnger on 18 June 2015); “People smuggler cash: Stacks police say were paid to send asylum seekers on a ‘suicide mission’”,Sydney Morning Herald, 16 June 2015 (accessed athttp://www.smh.com.au/world/people-smuggler-cash-stacks-police-say-were-paid-to-send-asylum-seekers-on-a-suicide-mission-20150616-ghpa36 on 19 June 2015).

[5] “Rohingya and Bangladeshi Boat People Humanitarian Crisis: Prompt and Concrete Measures Needed”, Malaysian Bar, 19 May 2015 (accessed at http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/press_statements/press_release_%7C_rohingya_and_bangladeshi_boat_people_humanitarian_crisis_prompt_and_concrete_measures_needed.html on 15 June 2015); “Malaysian Government Must Bring the “Death Camps” Human Traffickers and Migrant Smugglers to Justice”, Malaysian Bar, 28 May 2015 (accessed at http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/press_statements/press_release_%7C_malaysian_government_must_bring_the_death_camps_human_traffickers_and_migrant_smugglers_to_justice.html on 15 June 2015); “Eradicate Rampant Corruption, and Stem the Loss of Lives”, Malaysian Bar, 8 June 2015 (accessed at http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/press_statements/press_release_%7C_eradicate_rampant_corruption_and_stem_the_loss_of_lives.html on 15 June 2015).

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

4,400 Burmese Migrants in Malaysian Immigration Detention Centres for undocumented migrants

Why are the Burmese migrants returning to Malaysia? Is it because there have been several incidents, where Burmese migrants have been victims of violence and even death? Or is it because of the new crackdown by the Malaysian police where over 1,000 Burmese migrants have been arrested? Who is committing these violence  is unclear? Is it locals or foreigners? Is Malaysia using the 'ethnic clashes' in Burma as a justification for a selective crackdown on Burmese migrants in Malaysia? We have not heard of the status of the police investigations.... And, is it not odd that people (possible witnesses or suspects) are being send back to Burma before the investigations are completed and the alleged perpetrators are brought to justice? 

Are the Burmese migrants returning of their own free will - or are they really being 'deported'? How many documented migrants have returned - that would be an indicator as to why they are returning? For the undocumented migrants who have been arrested and in detention, leaving to go back to Burma speedily at this time when Myanmar government is supporting, and there are people offering free flight home, many would grab this opportunity rather than continue to languish in the Immigration Detention Centres for undocumented migrants. At present, there are 4,400 undocumented migrants in Malaysia's Immigration Detention Centres for undocumented migrants... that is really a very large number...

Sadly, even alternative media that reports seem to be biased in their reporting when it comes to this issue? Their 'independence' may be affected possibly by personal reasons or bias when it comes to this issue... After all, the Burmese Muslim groups have come out and stated that they are not involved...

“We don’t know who did these attacks,” says San Win, chairman of the Malaysia Myanmar Free Funeral Service, a Kuala Lumpur-based group that assists Burmese migrants. Flicking through gory photos of roughly stitched victims of the violence, he adds, “but we think it could be the Rohingya people.”

The president of the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHOM), Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, disputes this speculation.

“This is not correct,” he says, citing previous attacks by Buddhists on Muslims in Burma, which he says did not prompt sectarian reprisals in Malaysia. “We have to respect Malaysian law and if any Rohingya breaks the law, we don’t support it,” Abdul Ghani adds. - The Irrawaddy, 13/6/2013, Burmese Migrant Community in Malaysia Simmers after Attacks

Some believe that  Rohingya are getting more organized and stand stronger after Malaysia had organized International Conference for Rohinya in Burma.  

Burmese orphans celebrate Refugee Week

Kwee Lar Htoo and five of her siblings, who were persecuted by the Burmese army.PHIL ROGERS

BURMESE Karen, including Kwee Lar Htoo and her six siblings who moved to Australia as orphaned refugees in 2009, will have plenty to celebrate during Refugee Week.
The Htoo family are an important part of Monday’s celebrations at Villawood Senior Citizens Centre from 4.30pm to 6pm.
During the event there will be a refugee story told by Karen youth, traditional dances, a short documentary. Speeches will also be given by Aboriginal elder Uncle Greg Simms and guest speaker Mallam Sankoh.
With the help of an interpreter, Ms Htoo, the eldest and carer of her siblings at 21, said the Villawood event was a good way to highlight the refugee issue.
In 2000 Ms Htoo’s father died and 18 months later she moved into the Mae Ra Moe refugee camp in Thailand near the Burmese border, along with her mum, three sisters and three brothers.
For seven years the camp was their home.
Often the family were forced to flee from the Burmese army.
They had to hide in the jungle for days with little or no food. Ms Htoo’s mother died in 2008.
She and her six siblings survived as orphans for a year in the camp.
Late in 2009, they were sponsored by the Australian government as refugees.
While she and her siblings miss their parents every day, Ms Htoo said she was grateful for the opportunity she and her siblings have been given.