Rohingya refugees in Malaysia

Forty-one Rohingya refugees landed on Perlis shores on April 8, while 200 more are feared trapped at sea in Thai waters, as confirmed by Police Chief Noor Mushar Mohamad.

The 41 Rohingyas are the second group of Muslim minorities to arrive in Malaysia within weeks, believed to have fled from refugee camps in Bangladesh through a large boat before being transferred to a smaller craft by local criminal gangs.

The Rohingya men, aged from 14 to 30, paid RM4,000 each to the traffickers to be brought into Malaysia.

The Rohingyas have been seeking refuge and asylum in Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia since the brutal clampdown in their home country, Myanmar, back in August 2017. The clampdown also led to the allegations of Rohingya genocide in the country.

According to United Nation Refugee Agency (UNHCR), as of January 2019, there are some 164,620 registered refugees and asylum-seekers (Persons of Concern), comprising of 84,030 Rohingyas.

Malaysian authorities are now on the lookout for more Rohingya boats entering the country’s waters.

On a separate note, there was claim that an Israeli spy has infiltrated into the department of Royal Malaysian Police (RMP).

Replying to the claim made by Pangkalan Chepa MP Ahmad Marzuk Shaary, Home Affairs Deputy Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said the Israeli was an expert engineer sent by Singapore for the maintenance of RMP system.

Malaysia does not recognize Israel as a country, and because of that travel from or to Israel is prohibited.

However, those who have been granted entry to Malaysia between 2016 and March this year are beneficial to Malaysia’s economy, technological development, education sector and society.