Rohingya Refugees in Malaysia: Time for Policy Rethink

The Straits Times

31 August 2017

Chan Xin Ying

United States President Donald Trump’s refugee ban had crushed the resettlement dreams of countless Rohingya refugees in Malaysia as the US is the largest resettlement country. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are approximately 56,000 registered Rohingya card holders residing in Malaysia; other non-governmental organisations have estimated a total of 200,000 Rohingya refugees in the country.

While the Malaysian government has been active in promoting awareness about the Rohingya Muslims, domestically, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees continue to languish in poverty and lack rights in the society.

Despite the fiery protest rally in Kuala Lumpur in December last year and the allocation of US$2.2 million (S$3 million) humanitarian aid to the Rohingya in northern Myanmar, little action was undertaken by the government to help the Rohingya refugees within its borders.

What approaches can the Malaysian government consider to alleviate the plight of the refugees within its territory?

… Chan Xin Ying is a research analyst with the Malaysia Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University. She was previously a senior programme officer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

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