Rights advocates say legal clarity is urgently needed to protect those fleeing war and persecution in Myanmar
People carry the dead body of a Rohingya refugee rescued from the sea after a Malaysia bound boat sank in rough weather off the Bangladesh coast in Teknaf on Oct. 4, 2022.
Joseph Masilamany
Human rights groups in Malaysia have called on the Muslim-majority country’s government to recognize refugees fleeing war and religion-based violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
“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.
“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 back 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 refugees and asylum-seekers. 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.
On World Refugee Day, on June 20, Quah’s organization, along with a few other human rights advocates, renewed calls for the government to recognize Myanmar nationals urgently.
One rights activist, Jerald Joseph, a former member of Malaysia’s Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM), told UCA News 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 acknowledged 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.”
Public misunderstanding
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 acknowledged 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.
Both advocates urged Malaysians to support the ‘Stand With Myanmar’ initiative and refugee-led efforts locally.
“Start by listening. Support inclusive policies. Challenge xenophobia when you see it,” Quah said.
“Even small acts, such as buying from a refugee-run stall, make a difference.”
