The social and economic conditions of refugees should be improved
ON Thursday, Tan Sri Razali Ismail, the former United Nations special
representative to Myanmar, spoke of the need to alleviate the lot of
Rohingya refugees living in this country. As the predicament of this
Muslim minority has come under the international spotlight following the
violence in June, it is understandable that Malaysia's former permanent
representative to the world body has singled them out. Indeed, on the
same day that he spoke to this newspaper, there was a meeting in Doha
organised by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Qatar
Charity to coordinate assistance to the tens of thousands who have been internally displaced in the state of Rakhine.
Charity to coordinate assistance to the tens of thousands who have been internally displaced in the state of Rakhine.
Nevertheless, as expected as this may be from an active participant in
last month's Perdana Global Peace Foundation international conference
that sought solutions to their plight, as far as the issue of refugees
in this country is concerned, the focus should not exclusively be on the
Rohingya. Indeed, the pertinent points Razali raised about their lack
of access to social services and employment opportunities and the lack
of protection against harassment are as relevant to the other refugees
from Myanmar and other countries, such as Sri Lanka, Somalia, Iraq and
Afghanistan. While there may be legal grounds to differentiate a refugee
from an asylum seeker, there should be no distinction between the
diverse groups of genuine refugees in this country. Paradoxically, of
course, it is the fact that no official distinction has been made
between those registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) and the undocumented foreign workers that explains why
refugees and asylum seekers are vulnerable to arrest and detention,
exploitation and extortion. Although they may be better off than they
were back home, it is often a tenuous existence that begs to be
ameliorated.
This is not to say that the government is unsympathetic to refugees.
They are not confined to camps, the Immigration raids have stopped, the
UN refugee agency has been able to release those registered refugees who
have been detained, and those with UNHCR cards can get treatment at
government clinics. Nevertheless, what is clear is that as long as they
are not permitted to work and have little legal status and protection,
their lives will remain in limbo. But just as getting the Myanmar
government to recognise the Rohingya as citizens will take time, "given
the complex nature of the issues", as Razali put it, so will such shifts
in refugee policy. In the meantime, advocates and activists like Razali
should mobilise support for humanitarian assistance and engage with the
government to improve refugee access and rights.
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