ENOUGH WITH THE REFUGEES by Norman Fernandez

ENOUGH WITH THE REFUGEES

by Norman Fernandez.

20. 06. 2019 is World Refugee Day.

As at April 2019, there are almost 170,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNCHR in Malaysia. There are 170,460 refugees from Myanmar, out of which almost 90,000 are Rohingyas. However, it is said that the figures of Rohingya refugees are much higher at 150,000 and thousands of them are unregistered. 

Add to these figures, there are a further 22,870 refugees and asylum seekers from other countries including 6,150 Pakistanis, 3,350 Yemenis, 3,090 Somalis, 3,065 Syrians, 1,970 Afghans, 1,720 Sri Lankan’s, 1,450 Iraqis, 780 Palestinians and the rest from other countries.

Malaysia has in the past, provided  sanctuary to refugees. In May 1975, a boatload of 47 Vietnamese refugees landed on the shores of Malaysia. It then started with a trickle and soon the numbers grew. At one time, almost 500 refugees arrived in a day. As the numbers swelled, the government then set up a refugee camp in Pulau Bidong, Trengganu and by 1979 there were some 40,000 Vietnamese refugees in the 13 hectare island. 

As the refugees continued to arrive, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, then the Deputy Prime Minister on June 15, 1979 announced that Malaysia  would put  the 70,000 refugees from the camp out to the sea and that the security forces have been directed to shoot on sight on any boat carrying refugees trying to land and also should the boat people try to sink their boats, they will not be rescued.

The threat worked. In the end almost 248,194 Vietnamese refugees were resettled in third countries, while 9,592 were repatriated back to Vietnam and Doan Van Viet on August 28, 2005 become the last Vietnamese refugee to leave the Sungai Besi Transit Camp for home.

Still, It took 30 years for the last Vietnamese to leave the Malaysian soil and it also caused a drain on the treasury.

While other countries and notably western countries were willing to resettle the Vietnamese refugees and Malaysia was also able to repatriate the Vietnamese refugees back to Vietnam, in contrast there is a bleak prospect with the Rohingyas. 

Hardly any country is willing to resettle them and none of the 57 member OIC countries, in the spirit of ummah is willing to welcome and offer resettlement. 

(OSTB : Spirit of the ummah ? What is that?)

Myanmar, who don’t even recognise the Rohingyas as their citizens certainly will not take them back. In fact, Myanmar is more than relieved that the Rohingyas have left and are leaving the country. 

Also, unlike the Vietnamese refugees who the government was better able to manage and monitor by confining them to Pulau Bidong and later at Sungai Besi Transit Camp, the Rohingyas (and other refugees) after arriving in Malaysia are able to move freely around  and carry on with their life. This gives rise to all sorts of social and security problems. Recently, police arrested a few Rohingya refugees who were planning a terror attack. Imagine that !

One only need to see the problems caused by Filipino refugees and the IMM13 document holders in Sabah. Today, not only the IMM13 document holders not only do not want to return to the Philippines, they have intermarried with the locals and now are related to the locals. They have legitimised their presence.

Human Right do-gooders and their supporters (including Pakatan Harapan politicians) for sometime have been pressuring the government to also issue IMM13 document to the  Rohingyas which will permit them to stay in the country for a year, allowing them to work and also giving them access to healthcare and education. 

They are also pushing the government to ratify the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status Of Refugees, which provides for recognition of the legal rights of refugees with nary a care to the country for the consequence of the ratification. 

That is not all. They are demanding that the refugees be given the right to work and earn a living. In fact, recently a Rohingya Association in Malaysia demanded that the government give the Rohingyas taxi licences !

(OSTB : Why not make a Rohingya Prime Minister? Maybe better than Kerala?)

Then there is also the demand that the refugees  be given the right to education as afforded to Malaysian citizens. Add to all these, they are also demanding access and right to equal healthcare and access to social services, housing and all.

All these demands at the tax-payers expense.

Malaysia must recognise the consequence of the the massive number of Rohingyas in Malaysia and the social problems and the security threat they  pose and cause. 

After the Dec 4, 2016 public charade by Najib Tun Razak and Hadi Awang, Rohingyas believe that only Malaysia lays a red-carpet welcome. No wonder the Rohingyas prefer to come to Malaysia rather than go to Thailand. 

Even the Rohingyas in Indonesia prefer Malaysia. There are some 1.4 million Rohingyas in refugee camps in Bangladesh and they too want to come to Malaysia. Why wouldn’t they -  some 150,000 Rohingyas are already here in Malaysia -procreating and breeding.

In 1979, Dr Mahathir threatened to push the Vietnamese refugee boats to the sea and even shoot on sight the refugee boats. The time has come for the government to have the gumption to  say “enough”! and refuse and prevent anymore refugees and in particular the Rohingyas arriving in our shores.

For a start, the government should shut down  the UNCHR office in Malaysia. 

All UNCHR is doing is facilitating the entry of refugees into Malaysia and legitimising their long term presence in Malaysia. The UNHCR are proven to be unable to resettle the refugees in third countries.

(OSTB : Is the UNHCR yet another zionist conspiracy to undermine another Islamic country? Just wondering in confusion?)

Malaysia, cannot at the expense of the tax-payers bear the burden of housing and looking after the refugees and in particular the Rohingyas. Malaysia is already facing enough social and security problem with the illegal immigrants and overstayers. Malaysia does not need refugees to be an even greater problem.

So, on 20. 06. 2019, let it be the day  Malaysia says “enough with the refugees”.

Norman Fernandez

18/6/19