REFUGEES in Malaysia will have a much tougher life if the government orders the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to shut down, activists said.

According to activists, despite the government deciding it is better suited to handle refugees, the absence of the UNHCR will only leave the community open to further exploitation.

Any move to kick out the UN agency will also impact on Malaysia’s international reputation, they added.

Former chairman of the Alliance Of Chin Refugees, James Bawi Thang Bik, told The Malaysian Insight that any move to close down UNHCR will result in refugees also struggling in terms of security and livelihood.

“There are many refugee children here, where are we going to keep them and who will give them the same support as the UNHCR?

“The government doesn’t allow them access to public education. It is only through the UNHCR that community schools are here for refugee children.

“Without the UNHCR, refugees will also lose hope, which will lead to an increase in suicides,” he said.

On Tuesday, National Security Council (NSC) director-general Rodzi Md Saad suggested that the UNHCR leave Malaysia so the government can manage refugees without “interference” from external agencies.

However, Rodzi acknowledged that the NSC would need to be strengthened before this could happen.

Bawi also said the move to shut down the UNHCR can affect Malaysia’s reputation internationally, not least with the UN.

“At worst, it will endanger the lives of refugees. I don’t think it is what Malaysians want to see in their own country. I believe they won’t allow this to happen either.”

Stop interfering with UNHCR

Mahi Ramakrishnan of Beyond Borders said the UNHCR has an international mandate to protect refugees.

“It should be allowed to do its job without any interference from the government.

“These threats of shutting down the UNHCR seem to crop up now and then. The joint task force had a meeting with the UN body, and representatives from various ministries and departments were also in the meeting, including the NSC.

“The discussions centred on moving forward and strengthening cooperation, according to media reports.

“Five days later, the NSC director-general issued a statement calling for the government to boot out the UNHCR.

“This makes no sense, unless it’s political positioning ahead of an imminent general election,” Mahi said, adding that Malaysia has a responsibility to protect asylum seekers and refugees.

“We champion the Palestinian cause globally and yet talk about shutting down the UNHCR. Are our ministers thinking through these decisions before making such alarming statements?”

She also said the government has already targeted activists who speak out for refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers.

“I can’t tell if the government will shut down civil societies who work with, or speak out for, refugees but if it happens, then that would deal a major blow to our democracy,

“It would put refugees at greater risk,” she said.

Lawyers for Liberty noted that, aside from Malaysia’s international standing, it was a member of the UN Human Rights Council.

“Closure of the UNHCR office would leave hundreds of thousands of refugees defenceless.

“Protection of refugees and asylum seekers are not issues that should be defined as ‘foreign interference’,” Lawyers for Liberty director Zaid Malek said in a statement today.

He added that it was an acknowledgement of the suffering of those displaced due to war and the responsibility to protect them from harm.

According to Zaid, Malaysia, having been elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council, must embody international human rights principles abroad and on our own shores.

“Shutting down the UNHCR will undoubtedly damage Malaysia’s international standing and reputation.

“Therefore, we strongly urge the government against shutting down UNHCR in Malaysia, while abstaining from this mounting hostility towards undocumented migrants,” he said.

Zaid also said if the government truly wants to deal with refugees through local enforcement, it must first ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention, without which any replacement for UNHCR in Malaysia would be viewed with distrust.

Xenophobic, racist sentiments

Meanwhile, North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira said for NSC to even come up with such a proposal shows the body is poorly co-ordinated and disillusioned.

“We can conclude that these suggestions are not evidence based, more xenophobic and racist sentiments.

“The NSC forgets that refugees and asylum seekers arrive in Malaysia not by choice but because of wars and other political conflicts back home,” Pereira said.

He also said if UNHCR is shut down, almost all aspects of refugee and asylum rights will be disrupted.

“Also, if the government plans to take over the role of the UNCHR, surely the refugees and asylum seekers will not have an independent and fair channel to process their applications, because the government has been discriminatory and xenophobic towards them.”

According to the UNHCR, as of the end of August, it had registered 185,920 refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia.

It said 159,190 of this number are from Myanmar – comprising some 105,710 Rohingyas, 23,430 Chins, and 30,050 other ethnic groups – conflict-affected areas or just fleeing persecution in Myanmar.  

Meanwhile, the remaining 26,720 refugees and asylum-seekers are from 50 countries, including 6,840 Pakistanis, 3,830 Yemenis, 3,400 Syrians, 3,220 Somalis, 3,270 Afghans, 1,570 Sri Lankans, 1,200 Iraqis, 780 Palestinians. – September 9, 2022.