PUTRAJAYA, Feb 2 (Bernama) -- A government pioneer project to enable Rohingya refugees in Malaysia to be legally employed will begin on 1 March 2017, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He said that initially about 300 Rohingya holding the UNHCR cards who had undergone security and health screening would be emplaced in selected companies in the plantation and manufacturing sectors.
"They will be able to gain skills and income to make a living before being relocated to a third country," he said in a media statement after chairing a meeting of the high-level committee on UNHCR issues at Perdana Putra here today.
Ahmad Zahid said the initiative to allow the Rohingya to be employed would help address the human trafficking issue more effectively.
Thus far, the absence of an immigration status for the Rohingya had made them vulnerable to exploitation as forced labour and illegal workers in the country.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, as of 31 Dec 2016, there were 149,474 UNHCR card holders from 62 countries in Malaysia. Of the total, 133,517 or 89 percent were from Myanmar and 55,565 of them were Rohingya.
The government was always looking for the best approach to managing UNHCR card holders even though Malaysia was not a party to the United Nations Convention on Refugees 1851 and its 1967 Protocol.
The best approach is based on the humanitarian aspect expressed through government aid and support. The other efforts included improving the National Security Council Directive No. 23 of 2009 regarding UNHCR card holders to ensure more orderly management of the card holders.
National Security Council was improving the directive to adapt it to current developments and the irregular movement of migrants in the South Asian region.
The National Blue Ocean Strategy approach was also used in managing refugee issues more effectively through the establishment of the Joint Task Force (JTF). The JTF involves the cooperation of six major ministries with the UNHCR to ensure that UNHCR card holders are those duly authorised. Malaysia always worked closely with the UNHCR as a lead agency handling refugees under the auspices of the United Nations.
Source: Sinchew Daily
Section: Home, News
Date: 2 Feb 2017
