CNI News
12 Jan 2023
Ethnic communities have been urged to put pressure on the UNHCR for crackdowns on some ethnic communities from Myanmar in Malaysia, some of them told the CNI.
Although Malaysian authorities did not target ethnic communities, the raided the office of a Chin ethnic community to detain undocumented migrants recently.
Pressured should be applied on the UNHCR to hold talks with relevant authorities not to repeat such incidents, an anonymous UNHCR-card holding member of an ethnic community told the CNI.
Malaysian police raid offices of organizations offering assistance for Myanmar migrant workers.
He said, "As we are staying here with UNHCR cards, we have no other option than putting puressure on the UNHCR. All of us including undocumented migrants will be safe if the UNHCR can hold effective negotiations with the immigration or the police. So, we are putting pressures on the UN and planning to increase pressure on it. The UNHCR has promised to try their best to hold talks with the immigration and the Ministry of Home Affairs. All our organizations including NGOs must apply pressure on the UNHCR. If the UN body can hold talks with the Malaysian government successfully, we will all be safe without being arrested."
Currently, the UNHCR has rarely offered assistance to ethnic refugees except issuing UN refugee cards for them, according to some ethnic communities in Malaysia.
Therefore, ethnic community leaders have been urged not to be indifferent when members of other ethnic communities are detained and it is time for them to take the matter seriously, some ethnic communities said.
Director General U Nyi Nyi Lwin of the Centre for Arakan Refugees told the CNI, "It is ethnic communities that have to deal with the problems of migrant workers. When they arrive in Malaysia, they come to the communities.
Malaysian police raid offices of organizations offering assistance for Myanmar migrant workers.
When they are ill, the come the communities, which have to offer assistance to migrant workers from childbirths to deaths and funerals. The UNHCR can do nothing for them except issuing refugee cards. We collect membership fees form our community members and issue identity cards. However, we use the funds for protection of them including health, social affairs and education. It costs a lot of money to help them here. Ethnic communities from Myanmar in Malaysia have failed to fully cooperate, hold talks and share information among themselves and the UNHCR has not worked with ethnic communities as closely as before. Taking all these into consideration, the situation is worrisome. All ethnic communities are required to cooperate and hold talks with the government."
Ethnic refugees from Myanmar in Malaysia have to rely on the UNHCR and ethnic communities, which have been cooperating with the UN body and refugees have to apply for UNHCR cards by using identity cards issued by relevant ethnic communities.
If crackdowns on ethnic communities continue, members of migrant ethnic communities from Myanmar will face difficulties in every aspect of their life, according to the ethnic communities.
