Malaysia must avoid being seen as a permanent refugee resettlement country, says the Malaysian Community Care Foundation (MCCF) amid Rohingya employment concerns.
KUALA LUMPUR: The government must adopt a clear and consistent position that Malaysia is not a permanent resettlement country for international refugees, said the Malaysian Community Care Foundation (MCCF).
In reference to the refugee status being granted to 78 Rohingyas recently, its chairman Datuk Seri Halim Ishak said MCCF strongly objected to the decision made by the government to provide employment opportunities to the foreigners concerned.
“I have taken note of recent media reports regarding a proposal reportedly being considered by the government to provide employment opportunities for Rohingya refugees in Malaysia.
“Should such a proposal indeed be under consideration for implementation through the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme as a government policy, MCCF wishes to express its strong objection.
“Any decision relating to this issue must be carefully evaluated from the perspectives of national security, social implications, public health, economic impact, immigration enforcement and, more importantly, the interests of the Malaysian people.
“Malaysia has long demonstrated its humanitarian commitment. However, such compassion must not create the perception that Malaysia is a permanent resettlement destination for international refugees,” he told theSun.
Halim said any policy that could be interpreted as providing broader employment opportunities for refugees has the potential to become a pull factor, encouraging more individuals or human trafficking syndicates to choose Malaysia as their destination.
“MCCF believes that the government’s priority at this time should be to strengthen its border security and curb unauthorised entries rather than creating the perception that Malaysia offers opportunities capable of attracting more refugees or irregular migrants.
On July 10, the Home Ministry announced that refugee status had been granted to 78 Rohingya, with 25 eligible for local employment under the DPP programme.
The 78 are a part of a group of 128 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who had been relocated to the Special Isolation and Asylum Seekers Centre in Bidor, Perak.
The Home Ministry said the group falls under the first phase of the programme, which has registered a total of 4,010 refugees since it began in January this year.
The ministry was replying to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, who had requested for an update on the DPP and the number of refugees permitted to work under the Home Ministry’s programme to date.
The first phase of the DPP focuses on registering asylum seekers who are detained in immigration detention centres nationwide.
The second phase involves the registration of individuals holding UNHCR cards.
