Malaysia hopes to relocate more Rohingya refugees abroad

In the thorny issue of Rohingya refugees in Malaysia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Saifuddin Abdullah today says Putrajaya is always in talks with countries that accept refugees, hoping more can be relocated abroad.

“In bilateral discussions between Malaysia and countries that can accept Rohingya refugees from Malaysia, Malaysia has often stressed this issue and hopes that more can be admitted to the relevant countries.

“In this issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also calls on States Parties to the 1951 Refugee Status Convention and the 1967 Refugee Status Protocol to share the burden and responsibility especially in accepting more refugees for resettlement purposes, through bilateral and multilateral discussion platforms at the international,” says Saifuddin in reply to a question in Parliament from MP Tuan Ahmad Tarmizi bin Sulaiman [Sik].

The MP asked about Malaysia’s commitment to Asean and other world bodies, “to continue to urge and judge Myanmar to restore human rights and citizenship” to the Rohingya and other oppressed ethnic groups in the country.

Saifuddin says Malaysia is an Asean member country that is the most affected by the Rohingya refugee issue.

“In ASEAN meetings, Malaysia has often underlined the importance of ASEAN urging Myanmar to address the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State.

“Malaysia has also repeatedly stressed that our country cannot afford to accommodate more Rohingya refugees and called on the international community to come forward and help find a lasting solution.

“This matter was also raised by the YAB Prime Minister and YB Minister of Foreign Affairs during relevant ASEAN meetings including during the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits held on 26 to 28 October,” he says.

On the other hand, Malaysia strongly urges Myanmar to implement the recommendations submitted by the ASEAN-Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT) and implement a Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA).

“This is to ensure that the repatriation process of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar is carried out voluntarily, safely and with dignity as well as to reduce the number of refugees who make further journeys to Malaysia.”