End ‘unfair and unreasonable’ treatment of Rohingya, says Najib

 

Najib Razak says Rohingya refugees should be allowed to contribute to the economy instead of focusing on recruiting workers from other countries.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia should step up diplomatic efforts to look for new homes for Rohingya refugees abroad or allow them to work in the country, says Najib Razak.

The former prime minister suggested that Rohingya refugees should be given the chance to contribute to the economy temporarily instead of focusing on recruiting workers from other countries.

This comes after more than 500 Rohingya refugees detained at a temporary immigration depot in Kedah escaped in the early hours of Wednesday morning following a riot. Six of them were killed after being hit by a vehicle on a highway.

“It is unfair and unreasonable for us to let them be detained for many years,” Najib said in a Facebook post.

“In humanitarian terms, the government needs to do something for this group if the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other countries still do not want to rehome them.”

He said that continuing to detain Rohingya refugees would only result in the government having to bear the cost of their detention in immigration depots.

Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin also touched on Wednesday’s incident, and called on the government to show compassion and humanity to those who seek refuge in the country.

Following the incident, home minister Hamzah Zainudin said Malaysia does not recognise the refugee status given to the Rohingya, adding that the government is allowing them to remain here on humanitarian grounds. - FMT