Rohingya group thanks govt for assistance with refugee registration

PETALING JAYA: A Rohingya rights group has welcomed the government's plan to resolve the problem of registering Rohingya refugees by placing officers from the police and the Immigration Department in UNHCR's "Refugee Status Determination" process.

Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia (Merhrom) president Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani (pic) said they had long been receiving complaints from the Rohingya community that they could not register with the UNHCR despite a five-year wait.

"Undocumented Rohingya asylum-seekers faced many challenges especially to get (hospital) treatment and to get job for their survival due to no document (sic)," he said, adding that they couldn't get jobs in Malaysia.

"Delayed registration only expose the vulnerable Rohingya asylum-seekers to more exploitation," he added.

Asking for a speedy implementation of the "Refugee Status Determination" process, Zafar Ahmad also urged the government to consider giving temporary work permits.

"We are not going to steal the local job opportunities as we work in dangerous, dirty and difficult jobs which Malaysians do not want to work," he said.

"We owe a lot to the Malaysian government and the Malaysian people for their support to us. We have been seeking refuge in this country for more than three decades."

"We will continue to make significant contributions to the development of Malaysia and its economy until we can return home," he added.

On Monday (July 1), Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said currently, the government had a pilot project that hired refugees to work in selected areas such as the plantation and manufacturing sectors.

She assured that any approval for refugees to work in the country would not be made at the expense of Malaysians.

She added that the government planned to resolve the problem of registering Rohingya refugees by discussing with UNHCR the placing officers from the police and the Immigration Department in the "Refugee Status Determination" processs done by the UN agency.