Rights activists urge Malaysia to recognize Myanmar refugees
Human rights activists say legal clarity is urgently needed to protect those fleeing war and persecution in Myanmar
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (MNTV) – Human rights groups in Malaysia have called on the government to recognize refugees fleeing war and religion-based violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, UCA News reports.
“Myanmar nationals are not coming to Malaysia by choice — they are coming out of necessity. People are fleeing persecution, political violence, and forced conscription,” said Heidi Quah, founder of rights group, Refuge for the Refugees.
Recognizing Myanmar nationals as refugees would offer immediate legal protection, stop deportations, and allow asylum seekers to access basic services without fear, she said.
“Recognition offers them safety more than legal clarity,” she said. “It means a mother fleeing violence can go to a clinic without fear. It means a young boy won’t be deported into a warzone,” she explained.
According to the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Malaysia had 189,340 registered refugees and asylum seekers as of May 2024, with the majority, or 166,290, coming from Myanmar.
Most Myanmar refugees in Malaysia, or roughly 109,230, are Rohingya. Others include Chin and other ethnic groups from Myanmar, according to the UNHCR.
According to Quah, in chaos-stricken Myanmar, where a military junta seized power four years ago and is battling armed groups opposing it, “young men and even teenagers are taken from their homes and forced to fight in a war they don’t believe in. Those who refuse are hunted, imprisoned, or killed. Parents flee with their children because they’d rather risk the unknown than hand them over to a brutal regime,” she said.
Jerald Joseph, a former member of Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM), said that “a framework for protecting the rights of asylum seekers is lacking in Malaysia.”
“While we take pride in standing in solidarity with refugees from Palestine and other regions, we cannot overlook the severe crisis happening right across our borders in Myanmar,” he added.
Malaysia, the current Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, has an opportunity to “blaze the way” and establish a standard for increased protection of Myanmar asylum seekers.
He said that governments often fear “a prima facie recognition system for asylum seekers might be abused,” but argued that “instead of shutting the door, the government should empower authorities to work hand-in-hand with the UNHCR.”
Jerald said the Malaysian public needs to be educated “about our history of hosting temporary refugees like the Vietnamese boat people in the 1980s. We must not pick and choose refugees based on religion or identity.”
He said that fear and misinformation about refugees “often shape public attitudes. That’s why humanizing these stories is so important.”
Jerald said some parliamentarians “continue to spew hate and misinformation. Parliament must address this seriously,” he said.
Both activists said the government should give “prima facie” recognition to Myanmar refugees and provide them legal rights to work and access to education for their children.
They also called for a moratorium on deportations, a framework to safeguard refugees’ human rights, and transparency concerning the role of the National Security Council.
Quah also urged the UNHCR to expedite registration processes and ensure that refugee communities are actively involved in shaping the systems that govern their lives. “We need to include refugee communities in shaping policies that affect them,” she said.
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