Penang Chief Minister says relocation of 121 Rohingya was voluntary and not a state operation, as community moved to Kuala Lumpur.
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang state government will continue to monitor the issue of Rohingya community resettlement in the state after the voluntary relocation of 121 Rohingya from a temporary settlement at the former tsunami site in Penaga, Kuala Muda in North Seberang Perai (SPU) on Sunday night.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the relocation was not an operation ordered by the state government, but rather carried out by the community who chose to seek assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). He said the relocation was also assisted by the provision of transport to make it easier for them to move out of the area.
“Currently, such operations are not carried out by the government and in this case, what happened was that those who wanted to move sought assistance from UNHCR and went to Kuala Lumpur.
“That is indeed what we heard from the locals about the presence of the Rohingya community in their area which certainly has an impact on the local social and economic situation, the Rohingya community understands the feelings of the locals and chooses to move out,” he told reporters today.
Chow was speaking after an official visit to the Mi Equipment factory in the Bayan Lepas Industrial Estate, which was also attended by InvestPenang chief executive officer Datuk Seri Loo Lee Lian.
Chow said there were several areas in the state that had Rohingya community groups, including in Penaga and the Bagan area, with the state government constantly monitoring developments there. He added that so far, there were not many direct complaints to the state government; instead residents may channel information or complaints to the Village Community Management Council (MPKK) or the police.
“Not very frequently, they may contact the MPKK or the police depending on the situation and not many directly to the state government,” he said.
Chow reminded all parties to respect the country’s laws and use the correct channels in dealing with any issues related to the community. According to him, UNHCR also needs to play a more active role in monitoring issues involving refugees, especially when their increasing numbers can pose management challenges.
“We cannot allow actions that affect the lives of the people, residents or create obstacles to traffic and so on. We are a country with laws, so people who come here must respect the law and use the correct channels,” he said.
Yesterday, the relocation process of 121 Rohingya from temporary settlements at the former Penaga tsunami site was carried out voluntarily following economic competition and the increase in residents in the area. SPU district police chief ACP Anuar Abdul Rahman was reported to have said the relocation was voluntary, assisted and coordinated by federal departments, namely the Department of National Unity and National Integration, the state government, the National Security Council, representatives of local residents and representatives of Rohingya.
Hundreds of Rohingya refugees were reported to have gathered in front of the UNHCR office in Jalan Bukit Petaling, Kuala Lumpur after arriving in the capital early this morning on three buses from Penang.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when commenting on the matter, reportedly said the government would not compromise on any refugee group that acts to disrupt public order or tries to take control of any area in the country.
