The integration could prevent misunderstandings and tension, said a spokesman for the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals.
Teo Sue Ann, an executive at the group’s secretariat, said “we could essentially maintain equilibrium and peace” for as long as the Rohingya remained in the country if there were efforts to develop “understanding of one another’s cultures and values”.
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She said that allowing them to work in Malaysia would be in the best interest of the government since many of them were young and strong and would be a viable labour force.
“There is a market demand for human resources in the country, a demand the Rohingya refugees can fulfil,” she told FMT.
Teo said that recognising the refugees’ fundamental human rights would help the country achieve sustainable development. These rights include basic education for children, freedom of mobility, social protection and maternity protection.
“Unfortunately, many refugees still face hostility from the police and enforcement officers while walking on the street. And many pregnant women cannot afford to deliver their babies in the hospitals due to the expensive medical fees,” she said.
On Wednesday, 528 Rohingya inmates fled the temporary immigration depot at Bandar Baharu in Kedah. There were 664 inmates at the centre at the time.
As of yesterday, police have caught 417 of them. Six were killed on Wednesday while crossing a highway.
‘No oversight of immigration centres’
North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira alleged that there was no oversight of the immigration detention centres.
“We don’t know the conditions of these centres and, judging from previous parliamentary questions, there are indications that deaths in immigration centres are high,” he told FMT.
Pereira also said it was natural for Rohingya seeking refuge to make their way to Malaysia as the situation in Myanmar worsened.
“The government should protect these refugees and give them the right to work,” he said. “We shouldn’t view them as a burden. They won’t cause trouble if they can look after themselves.”
He urged the government to sign the 1951 Refugee Convention and implement transparent policies to protect the Rohingya and other refugees.
Be more accepting of refugees, says Maria Chin
Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah urged the government to be more accepting of refugees and to propose a new mechanism to manage them adequately.
Pointing out that many children were holed up in detention centres with adults, she said this also needed to be addressed, and urged women, family and community development minister Rina Harun to take some responsibility.
“Rina is not only responsible for Malaysian women and children but also for those who seek asylum on our shores,” she said in a statement today.
Maria maintained that the government needed to come up with a better, permanent solution for refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, instead of incarceration.