PETALING JAYA: A coalition of NGOs are calling for Putrajaya to grant the Uighur community here refugee status to prevent them from being repatriated to China.
Malaysia4Uyghur – a coalition of Islamic, Christian and human rights NGOs advocating the plight of Uighurs – said there were some 60 Uighurs in the country, whose visas and passports will be expiring soon.
Its president, Zuhri Yuhyi said the ethnic minority fled China to avoid economic discrimination as well as religious and cultural persecution.
“They fear even further persecution should they return to China. Hence, Malaysia should grant them refugee status,” he said in a statement.
Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim) president Azmi Abdul Hamid said Malaysia had “no choice” but to accept them as refugees.
“They should be given refugee status because Malaysia is part of the Human Rights Commission of Asean, hence beholden to provide protection to asylum seekers.
Azmi said Malaysia should accommodate the Uighur as their numbers are few, while locals have no problems with the community.
“They are hardworking and entrepreneurial but their situation is very dire,” he said, adding that Mapim had discussed the matter twice with Wisma Putra and submitted a memorandum in 2019.
The United Nations says at least one million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims have been detained in what China describes as “vocational training centres” to stamp out extremism and give people new skills.
In September last year, Putrajaya said it would not entertain requests to extradite ethnic Uighur refugees to China and will allow them safe passage to a third country should they feel their safety is at risk.
In October 2018, Malaysian authorities released 11 Uighurs from detention and sent them to Turkey, despite a request from China to return them. - FMT
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