IT was International Migrants Day on December 18, but Rohingya refugee Dilu Saidur Rahman could not think of what that meant to her.

Instead, she remembered friends who died on the boat while fleeing the Myanmar navy, on her journey to Malaysia seven years ago.

“We had to throw bodies into the sea,” she said when met in Bukit Tengah in Penang recently.

About 50 of them were packed into the small boat with limited food supplies.

But Dilu, 50, said she had to flee Rakhine with her two children. To stay behind would mean certain death at the hands of the Myanmar junta, or at the very least, rape.

Recounting the journey, Dilu said they took a month to reach Thailand but she was unable to specify where they landed.

“All I saw were jungles and hills. After we reached Thailand, there was an agent to meet us. We then walked for 15 days in the jungle until we reached the Thai-Malaysia border.

“There were times that we walked from dawn to dusk and slept in the jungles.”

The number of refugees became fewer as the days passed as many died during the journey.

When they had reached the border, they were brought in four-wheel-drive vehicles to Penang.

“There were almost 20 of us although the car couldn’t fit all of us. We just cramped into the car.

“Even then, there were some who suffocated and died and we had to chuck their bodies out of the vehicles,” said Dilu.

These memories still haunt the mother of two but she the perilous journey was worth it as she and the children joined her husband in Malaysia.

“My husband had paid between RM7,000 and RM8,000 to the agent and we have been living here since,” said Dilu.

The family are supported by Dilu’s son who works in the construction industry as her husband is ill. She said it was “safer” for a refugee to work in the construction sector as there was a lower chance of getting caught by the authorities.

The earnings, said Dilu, are just enough to cover rent of around RM250 a month and food.

“My son works on a daily rate for around RM60 to RM70 a day repairing roads or drains,” said Dilu.

“Although, it’s also hard work and life here, it’s still better than Myanmar.”

Several Rohingya refugees living in Bukit Tengah told The Malaysian Insight that although they had identity cards from the United National High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR), they could not work, go to school or obtain driving licences.

This is because Malaysia has not ratified UNHCR’s 1951 Refugee Convention, resulting in refugees being unable to access education, vocational training, healthcare and work in the country.

Under the Immigration Act, refugees are defined as illegal immigrants and cannot work in Malaysia and risk being sent back to their countries of origin.

In July, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the government started a pilot project allowing refugees with UNHCR cards to work in the plantation and manufacturing sectors.

Human Resources Minister M. Kula Segaran also said that the government would make a decision on whether to allow refugees to work legally at year-end.

Another refugee, Abdul Salam Islam said he also used a human-trafficking ring to get into Malaysia in 2013.

“I reached Bukit Kayu Hitam after a three-month journey starting in Myanmar. After that, I came to Penang, as it’s easier to find work here,” said the 29-year-old.

Salam works as a daily wage earner for around RM70 a day. However, his pay often goes to bribing officials to avoid being arrested.

“I usually end up giving ‘duit kopi’ (bribe) when the officials check and I’m unable to provide any identity card or documents.”

He said this was not uncommon for most Rohingya refugees in Malaysia.

Another refugee, Muhammad Ismail Mohammad Roshid, 21, said he has worked in three states since arriving six years ago.

Currently a construction worker in Sabak Bernam, Selangor, said he was thankful for the job, even though it is illegal.

“I’m most worried when I come across the authorities. Especially, when I’m on my bike or when they raid us, as I don’t have a permit.

“I don’t know what lies ahead in the future but I hope to work and raise a family here like other people,” said Muhammad.

According to the UNHCR, there are 177,800 refugees registered with the agency in Malaysia.

Penang Stop Human Trafficking Campaign’s James Locchead said 153,200 are from Myanmar.

The data showed that 98,130 were Rohingyas, while 23,500 were from the Chin tribe with another 9,450 Myanmar Muslims. Another 3,720 are of Rakhine, Arakan and other tribes.

Some 80% of the 20,000 refugees who reside in Penang are Rohingya. – December 21, 2019.