Clear govt policy, guidelines needed to regulate Rohingya, says MP

 

Suhaizan Kaiat called for the government to establish clear guidelines to manage Rohingya refugees so that they do not pose a threat to peace and harmony.

KUALA LUMPUR: An Amanah MP has called for the government to establish a clear policy and guidelines to regulate the Rohingya community in Malaysia, following complaints that crime and the sprouting of refugee settlements have disturbed the peace among local residents.

Debating the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat today, Suhaizan Kaiat (PH-Pulai) said more than 200 Rohingya refugee families have taken over a squatter settlement left vacant after its local residents moved into people’s housing projects.

“They have set up a Rohingya settlement with their own electricity and water supply, sundry shops, restaurants and madrasahs without any form of regulation.

“They move freely in their own vehicles and dispose of their trash as they please, especially in a nearby river. Their presence threatens the lives of Malaysians,” he said.

Suhaizan also cited an incident on Dec 23 last year in which three Rohingya criminals, suspected to have been involved in 50 burglaries in six states, were shot dead.

“As at the end of January this year, 86,490 refugees and asylum seekers have been registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia. Of this total, 108,310 were Rohingya refugees.

“These UNHCR refugees should have been handed over to a third country. They were not meant to live in ours indefinitely. Because no third country was willing to accept them, Malaysia has received them out of compassion.

“Clear guidelines are needed to manage them to ensure that they do not pose a threat to the peace and harmony of Malaysians,” he said.

The presence of Rohingya refugees in the country came under the spotlight recently, after the immigration department busted a Rohingya migrant smuggling syndicate in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, late last month.

Immigration director-general Ruslin Jusoh said those arrested included “Ali”, a Rohingya man suspected to be the mastermind of a syndicate that smuggled migrants in from Myanmar and transported them to the federal capital using express buses to evade detection.

Recently, Malaysian Community Care Foundation chairman Halim Ishak called on Putrajaya to deport the refugees, following reports of the existence of a human trafficking cartel.

He said Malaysia was no longer in a position to accomodate them, citing the need to strike a balance between humanitarianism and safeguarding the country’s sovereignty.

Halim was, however, criticised by former MP Charles Santiago and migrant rights activist Adrian Pereira for not fully understanding the Rohingya people’s plight.

Pereira said Halim’s comments were misplaced, adding that Malaysians seem to buy into a lot of misinformation about the community. - FMT