I THINK refugees should go back to the countries from where they came, because the organisations working for the welfare of the refugees and the countries working to resettle them now have other priorities.

The refugees who resettled by 2020 are among the last lucky ones to be recognised by the 1951 Refugee Convention. Organisations such as the UNHCR, International Rescue Committee and International Organization for Migration are tired of working for the welfare of refugees. All these organisations have lost interest.  UNHCR offices in Malaysia and Indonesia now rarely respond to refugee requests.

The UNHCR offices in Southeast Asia, Thailand and Sri Lanka were once actively involved in resolving refugee issues but now the situation has changed. UNHCR Malaysia and Indonesia have zero performance due to the fact that these offices provide jobs to people who are not interested in their work at all.  Thousands of emails are sent to these offices every month by migrants, but very few are answered. Racism is more prevalent in these offices because a particular sect from Myanmar is given more importance.

UNHCR Malaysia is currently run by security guards who cannot handle refugees and issues confronting them. The UNHCR offices in Indonesia and Malaysia have failed miserably to resettle refugees in other countries. They have no redressal of their grievances on health, education, security, resettlements and immigration issues

The virus has forced thousands of refugees from Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Palestine to return to their own countries or relocate to a third country because they have no hope of resettlement or assistance from civil society groups.

Thousands of Myanmar refugees have crossed the Malaysia-Thai border. As a result, the number of refugees in Malaysia has declined. However, UNHCR Malaysia has yet to update the current number of refugees under its charge. As a result, many cannot return to their families or resettle in another country.  They are simply trapped in the middle of nowhere.

Many refugees have left this world with the dream for a better future, but the death of a refugee does not matter to any civil society group or human rights organisation. The world has changed.  Human rights no longer exist in practice.  There was a time when refugees were welcomed.  Every country now considers refugees a burden. – September 4, 2021.

* Dr Tamoor Azam is a research analyst at Kunming University of Science and Technology, China.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.