Malaysia’s Policy towards the Rohingya Refugees (Polisi Malaysia terhadap pelarian Rohingya)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/jia.v16i3.848Abstract
This paper focuses on Malaysia’s policy towards the Rohingya refugees in the country. The first part of this paper analyses the reasons for the Rohingyas to choose to come to Malaysia. The next part discusses the Immigration Act 1967 as part and parcel of any adopted policy. Interviews and related documents have been used to guide this research in order to achieve this objective. Finally, the last part explains the perceptions of government agencies, as well as the NGOs towards the arrival of the Rohingya to Malaysia. In addition, the role of the UNHCR in Malaysia is elaborated.
Keywords: Rohingya immigrants, Immigration Act 1967, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Non-governmental Organizations.
Abstrak
Kajian ini memberi tumpuan kepada polisi Malaysia terhadap pelarian Rohingya di negara tersebut. Ianya terbahagi kepada empat bahagian. Bahagian yang pertama untuk jilid ini mengkaji sebab-sebab pelarian Rohingya memilih untuk datang ke Malaysia. Bahagian seterusnya membincangkan Akta Imigresen 1967 sebagai sebahagian daripada polisi yang telah diambil. Temu bual dan dokumen-dokumen yang berkaitan telah digunakan sebagai rujukan di dalam kajian ini supaya dapat menemui objektifnya. Akhir sekali, bahagian yang terakhir menerangkan mengenai tanggapan agensi kerajaam dan juga ahli Pertubuhan Bukan Kerajaan terhadap kedatangan pelarian Rohingya ke Malaysia. Sebagai tambahan, peranan Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu untuk Pelarian di Malaysia juga akan dihuraikan.
Kata Kunci: Pendatang Rohingya, Akta Imigresen 1967, Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu untuk Pelarian, Pertubuhan Bukan Kerajaan.
References
Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network. “Malaysia Universal Periodic Re-view – 3rd Cycle”. Asylum Access Malaysia Website. March 29 2018.
Accessed June 12, 2018.
https://asylumaccess.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/04/AAM-APRRN-UPR-Submission-Malaysia_FINAL.pdf
Bedi, Rashvinjeet. “UNHCR: Allow Refugees to Stay and Work in Malaysia”. The Star, June 25 2018: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/06/25/unhcr-allow-refugees-to-stay-and-work-in-malaysia/
Bemma, Adam. “Malaysia: A Refugee Conundrum”. Vol.391.Retrieved from The Lancet Website, January 13 2018.Accessed December 2, 2018:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)30052-7/fulltext
Darshinee, Nadarajan. “The Rohingya Crisis: Implications to Malaysia as a Maritime Nation”. Maritime Institute of Malaysia Website, March 23 2018. Accessed November 9, 2018:
“Fears of Boat Exodus to Malaysia Grow Amidst Rohingya Desperation”. New Straits Times, November 24, 2018: https://www.nst.com.my/world/2018/11/434105/fears-boat-exodus-malaysia-grow-amidst-rohingya-desperation
Goh, Melissa. “Rohingya Refugees to be allowed to work in Malaysia from March”. Channel News Asia, March 8, 2017: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/rohingya-refugees-to-be-allowed-to-work-in-malaysia-from-march-7538444
Guhathakurta, Meghna. “Understanding Violence, Strategising Protection Perspectives from Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh”. Asian Journal of Social Science, 45 (2017), pp. 639–665.
Jera Beah, Lego. “Protecting and Assisting Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Malaysia: the Role of the UNHCR, Informal Mechanisms, and the ‘Humanitarian Exception’”. Journal of Political Science and Sociology, 17 (2012), pp. 75- 99.
Khairi, Aizat. “Managing the Challenges of Refugees and Their Rights In Malaysia”. Jurnal Studi Hubungan Internasional, vol. 2 no.1 (2012), pp. 1-12.
Khairi, Aizat. “The Dilemma of Rohingya Refugees Boat People: the Role of Malaysia, its Neighbors and ASEAN”. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 6 no.12 (2016), pp. 481-489.
Laignee, Barron. “Refugees Describe Death and Despair in Malaysian Detention Centres”. The Guardian, May 16 2017. Accessed on December 8, 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/16/dozens-of-refugees-have-died-in-malaysian-detention-centres-un-reveals
Letchamanan, Hema. “Myanmar’s Rohingya Refugees in Malaysia: Edu-cation and the Way Forward”. Journal of International and Comparative Education, vol. 2 no.2 (2013), pp. 86-97.
Lih Yi, Beh. “Malaysia Tells Thousands of Rohingya Refugees to 'Go Back to Your Country'”. The Guardian, May 13 2015. Accessed
November 13, 2018.
“Malaysia Calls for Urgent Action to Address Rohingya issue”. New Straits Times, September 20, 2017, https://www.nst.com.my
“Malaysia will Continue to Voice Rohingya Issue at World Stage, DPM”. Awani News, September 27, 2017:
“Malaysia to Create Pressure for Rohingya Repatriation’”. The Daily Star, October 16, 2017: https://www.thedailystar.net/rohingya-crisis/malaysia-will-create-pressure-rohingyas-repatriation-to-myanmar-1477150
Menon, Praveen. “Malaysia Finds 139 graves in 'cruel' Jungle Trafficking Camps”. Reuters, May 25 2015. Accessed on December 17, 2018. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-asia-migrants/malaysia-finds-139-graves-in-cruel-jungle-trafficking-camps-idUSKBN0OA06W20150525
Monash University Malaysia. “Bridging the Gap between Aid and Reset-tlement”. Asylum Access Website, March 6 2018. Accessed on December 3 2018. http://cpps.org.my/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Bridging-the-Gap-between-Aid-and-Resettlement.pdf
Reuters. “Malaysia Debates Pulling out of ASEAN Soccer Cup over My-anmar's Rohingya Crackdown”. The Daily Star, November 23, 2017: https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/malaysia-debates-pulling-out-asean-cup-over-rohingya-crackdown-1319230
Suria Hamzah, Intan, Daud, Sity, and Idris, Nor Azizan. “Pelarian Roh-ingya dan Isu-isu Kontemporari di Malaysia”. Malaysian Journal of So-ciety and Space. Vol. 12 no.9 (2016), pp. 11-23.
UNHCR. “Abandoned At Sea”. UNHCR Website, August 26 2015: https://www.unhcr.org/en-my/news/stories/2015/8/56ec1eabd/abandoned-at-sea.html
UNHCR. “Figures at a Glance in Malaysia.” UNHCR Website, 2019: https://www.unhcr.org/en-my/figures-at-a-glance-in-malaysia.html.
Wake, Caitlin and Cheung, Tania. “Livelihood Strategies of Rohingya Refugees-in Malaysia”. Refworld Website, June 2016. Accessed December 4, 2018. https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/57922bbb4.pdf