CNI News
28 Sept 2022
Only around 20 out of more than 5,000 Rakhine applicants in Malaysia have received refugee cards from the UNHCR in the country, Chief Patron Sayadaw U Ottara of the Centre for Arakan Refugees told the CNI.
The CAR has helped the refugees apply for refugee cards to the UNHCR for two months, Sayadaw added.
Sayadaw U Ottara told the CNI, “So many people who are getting into trouble have applied for refugee cards from the UNHCR. Even refugees contacted to the Centre for Arakan Refugees have faced a lot of hardship. They didn’t have food and shelter. According to statistics we collected, there are about 5,000 to 6,000 have sought help from us. We helped them apply for UNHCR refugee cards online. We have also issued Rakhine refugee cards from our centre. They have applied for UNHCR refugee cards for two months and only about 20 of them have received the refugee cards. The number is too low. The UNHCR refugee card is very helpful. Muslims and other ethnic groups like members of Chin ethnic group can easily receive the cards. Some members of the Bamar ethnic group also sometimes get the cards.”
UNHCR refugee cards.
The CAR is offering assistance to Rakhine nationals who are waiting for UNHCR refugee cards by helping look for jobs and providing healthcare services.
Other nationals and ethnic groups are also helping members of their groups who are waiting for UNHCR refugee cards.
There are members of many ethnic groups from Myanmar in Malaysia and as all of them are having a hard time, UNHCR should help them equally, Sayadaw U Ottara said.
He told the CNI, “The UNHCR should treat them equally because not only Muslims and the Chin but also other ethnic groups are in trouble. The UNHCR in Malaysia should help them equally and issue refugee cards to all of them without discrimination.”
The Malaysian government and the UNHCR are currently holding negotiations. As the number of refugees in Malaysia is always increasing, the government has to take the issue seriously while it is impossible for the UNHCR to neglect the refugees.
Volunteers offering help to migrants to apply for refugee cards.
Undocumented migrants in Malaysia have lost their rights to work, health and education, Vice Chairman Ko Aung Min Thu of the ARRC told the CNI.
He said, “I want the UN and the Malaysian government to reach agreements as soon as possible because the situation in Myanmar has been deteriorating day by day. We can rely only on the UN in Malaysia. The UN take human rights and humanitarian issue into consideration but the country is a sovereign state. The country is owned by the people and the government. So, it cannot do as it wishes and has to seek approval from the government. It has to negotiate with the government. We will be able to enjoy benefits based on outcomes of their negotiations and will be safe. So, we want them to reach agreements as soon as possible.”
The UNHCR office in Malaysia is processing the application of refugee cards via its website but there are many refugees who do not understand the process. Refugees are not allowed to apply for the cards in person and fill all required personal data in the form at the UNHCR Malaysia website.
