Amnesty says Malaysia ‘dangerous’ for refugees
By Beh Lih Yi, AFP
KUALA LUMPUR: Amnesty International today said Malaysia was a “dangerous” place for refugees who were often often abused, arrested and “treated like criminals”.
Malalysia has nearly 90,000 refugees and asylum-seekers but the human rights group estimates the number of unregistered refugees at more than twice the official figure.
Amnesty said the refugees, mainly from Myanmar, came seeking refuge in Malaysia but were subjected to a litany of abuses as the government does not recognise their status.
“For those refugees and asylum-seekers who are forced to flee their homelands in search of protection, Malaysia is an unwelcoming and dangerous place,” it said in a strongly-worded report ahead of World Refugee Day on June 20.
“They come to Malaysia seeking safety, having fled situations of torture, persecution or death threats. But once they arrive, they are abused, exploited, arrested and locked up — in effect, treated like criminals,” the group added.
Malaysia has not ratified the United Nation’s Refugee Convention and refugees — who also come from Sri Lanka, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan — are often treated as undocumented workers, Amnesty said.
The lack of legal status means refugees can be punished by imprisonment for up to five years and whipping for illegally entering the country.
Amnesty also claimed the Malaysian government had deported refugees to persecution that they had fled, but said no new incidents had been recorded since July last year.
The rights group singled out a government-backed volunteer force known as Rela, which is empowered to carry out immigration checks, for alleged abuse and extorting money from refugees and asylum-seekers.
Malaysia in February said it would consider issuing identification cards to UN-recognised refugees and a proposal to allow them to work while awaiting resettlement abroad.
Amnesty urged Malaysia to immediately issue ID cards to the refugees and grant them the right to work. It also urged other countries to increase their resettlement of refugees currently in Malaysia.
“Refugees should be able to live with dignity while they are in Malaysia,” Chris Nash, Amnesty International head of refugee and migrant rights, said in the report.
