Stop Deporting Rohingya Refugees

September 02, 2005 19:49 PM

Stop Deporting Rohingya Refugees - Tenaganita

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Bernama) --

The Home Ministry has been asked to review its policy of deporting Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.Making the call Friday, Tenaganita Director Irene Fernandez said her organisation viewed their deportation seriously, saying it was not in line with the government's recent decision.She said the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced on Aug 1 that Rohingya refugees would be absorbed to ease Malaysia's manpower shortage.Unfortunately, she said, the decision had not been implemented and the refugee status of Rohingyas in this country had also not been recognised by the government."They are being detained and sent back," he told reporters.

Irene said as Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) Chair, Malaysia should play a key role to help Muslims who have become refugees.She claimed that on July 15, the Malaysian authorities deported 16 Rohingya refugees detained at the Juru detention camp in Penang to the IDC detention camp in Thailand enroute to Myanmar.At the same press conference, Teresa Kok, the member for Parliamentary Consultative Council for Myanmar Refugees, said the Home Ministry agreed last year to issue work passes to Rohingya refugees until the political situation in Myanmar improved."Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz also said in Parliament that the Cabinet had agreed to allow Rohingya refugees to work in the country."Unfortunately, till today they are being detained and this showed the government's policy is not implemented," he said.

The Seputeh MP said she discussed the matter with Mohamed Nazri recently and was told that till to date there was no change in the policy to allow Rohingya refugees to work in Malaysia.Rohingya Human Rights Society President Zafar Ahmead (rpt Ahmead) said the Rohingyas did not want to return to Myanmar due to political uncertainties and serious ethnic problems.He claimed some Rohingyas were detained by Malaysian authorities despite having authorisation letters from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).-- BERNAMA