CHASTISING the Rohingya community will only discourage them from coming forward to be tested and vaccinated, said the Malaysian Advisory Group on Myanmar. 

It said the hard-line approach adopted by the government will only push refugees and undocumented migrants further into hiding, preventing their vaccination, which is essential in curbing community Covid-19 infections. 

“However, despite alarm expressed by various civil society groups and even politicians, the authorities responsible have dug their heels in and doubled down,” the group said in a statement today.

“These punitive measures will undermine efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19, thereby endangering the Malaysian public.” 

The group was commenting on recent statements by Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin and director-general of immigration Khairul Dzaimee Daud on measures to be taken against refugees, which it believes will endanger Malaysians and will impede the recovery from the pandemic. 

It is concerned about the suggestion by Hamzah to establish refugee camps in Malaysia for Rohingya as a way of managing their population in the country.

“Such a move would be a regressive backslide. The vast majority of the 179,570 refugees in Malaysia are urban refugees, which allows them the possibility to live with greater dignity and normality and contribute to the Malaysian society,” it said. 

“Building camps would not only perpetuate trauma and dependency but also be an enormous drain on public resources and cut the refugees off from the rest of society.”

The group said that according to Khairul, there are already almost 2,000 Rohingya in detention, many of them children. 

“We must work together to find alternatives to detention for refugees, especially children, who have not committed any crime and would face persecution and risks to their lives if returned to their country of origin,” it said.

“It is also a matter of great concern that refugees in search of safety are sent back in rickety boats, who landed on our shores, exposing them to human traffickers and almost certain death.” 

While the group understands the need for deterrence and combating transboundary crimes, a more humane approach is needed to prevent trafficking and exploitation. 

“Thailand, which, like Malaysia, is not party to the Refugee Convention, has developed a national screening mechanism (NSM) to enhance the protection of refugees and to grant a protected person status to eligible individuals,” it said.

“It has other measures in place to protect refugees. Wherever possible, we should promote alternatives to camps so that refugees have the possibility of living with greater dignity, independence and normality.”

The group said it accepts that forced displacement is a global issue and Malaysia cannot bear the responsibility of being the sole host of these refugees.

“Other Asean member states should also ramp up efforts to offer protection for refugees, especially from Myanmar, on the basis of shared responsibility as outlined in United Nations’ Global Compact on Refugees,” it said.

It said as a leading developing nation and an integral member of Asean, Malaysia cannot turn a blind eye on the sufferings of these refugees and further exacerbate the vulnerability of those fleeing conflict, war and crimes against humanity. 

“It is regrettable that the state apparatus such as the National Task Force issued an anti-Rohingya poster which, unfortunately, fanned anti-refugee sentiments against a defenceless community,” it said.

It was reported last week that a poster shared on the department’s social media account featured gun-toting enforcement officers from the police, armed forces and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

It also included a phrase that read: “Migran etnik Rohingya kedatangan anda tidak diundang” (Rohingya migrants you are not wanted).

The statement was endorsed by Malaysian Advisory Group on Myanmar chairman Syed Hamid Albar, DAP senator Liew Chin Tong, Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz, Gen (rtd) Mohd Hashim Ali, Mercy Malaysia founder Dr Jemilah Mahmood, AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tony Fernandes, Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd non-executive chairman Nazir Razak, ECM Libra Foundation chairman Kalimullah Hassan and Geutanyoe foundation spokesman Lilianne Fan. – June 18, 2021.