Malaysia can't take any longer Rohingya refugees: PM Muhyiddin
27 June, 2020
Malaysia can't ingest Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Friday (Jun 26), citing a struggling economy and dwindling resources therefore of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Muslim-majority Malaysia is definitely a good favoured destination for Rohingya seeking a better life after fleeing a 2017 military-led crackdown in Myanmar and refugee camps found in Bangladesh.
But Malaysia, which will not recognise refugee status, has turned away boats and detained a huge selection of Rohingya, amid rising anger towards foreigners who've been accused of spreading the coronavirus and taking up scarce state funds.
"We can no longer take more as our resources and capacity already are stretched, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic," Muhyiddin said in teleconference with different leaders of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which include Myanmar.
"Yet, Malaysia is unfairly expected to do more to support incoming refugees."
The treating Rohingya has been divisive for ASEAN, with its two Muslim-majority members - Malaysia and Indonesia - criticising Buddhist-majority Myanmar and expressing growing frustration with Rohingya arriving on boats operated by persons smugglers.
Myanmar denies abuses against members of the minority found in Rakhine State, in western Myanmar, but says the Rohingya are not citizens but illegitimate immigrants from South Asia.
Rohingya have for years boarded boats between November and April, when the seas are calm, to access Southeast Parts of asia including Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Muhyiddin urged the UN refugee agency to speed up the resettlement of Rohingya found in Malaysia to third countries. The agency says there happen to be a lot more than 100,000 Rohingya in Malaysia though rights groups state the number is higher.
He also known as for more efforts to combat the trafficking of Rohingya, who he said were increasingly at risk for exploitation, slavery and recruitment by militants.
"ASEAN should do more to help Myanmar, and Myanmar must do more to greatly help itself because of this crisis to be placed behind us," he explained.
Dozens of Rohingya died and their bodies were thrown overboard from a good boat that later landed on a good Malaysian island this month with 269 persons up to speed, authorities said.
On Thursday, nearly 100 Rohingya were rescued by fishermen from a boat adrift off Indonesia.
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