MANAGING THE CHALLENGES OF REFUGEES AND THEIR RIGHTS IN MALAYSIA1
Abstract: More than 1 million among 3 million immigrants in Malaysia are illegal. There are reported that most of the current refugees are from Burma. There are also sizable “stateless persons” groups who came from the conflict areas of Southern Philippines. These refugees and stateless persons are often leaving in a limbo, not only because they do not possess proper credentials and identifications, but also because Malaysia is not sign the UN Conventions and Protocols on refugees. They are then not recognized by the Malaysian government and do not possess any rights under Malaysian laws. However, the recent years
the government has relented and provided
some of them with a temporary residential paper – IMM13, which allows them to stay but not work or partake in public education in the country. This presents a difficult dilemma, they are allowed to stay but not given any means to survive. This paper will look at the situation of these refugees in light of the current laws in Malaysia. It hopes to discuss ways of addressing these challenges and actors that need to be engaged to improve the lives of these refugees and protect their rights.
Keywords: refugees, Malaysian government, human rights, Malaysian laws and policies, IMM13, non‐governmental actors
Author: Aizat Khairi
Journal Code: jphubintgg120008
