Home Ministry Urged to Clarify Number of Rohingya Repatriated

SHAH ALAM: The Home Ministry (KDN) has been urged to provide a detailed breakdown of the number of ethnic Rohingya among the 1,476 refugees involved in the first phase of the Myanmar Detainee Repatriation Programme on Tuesday.

Rohingya affairs observer Norman Fernandez said there was little to celebrate regarding diplomatic engagement between Malaysia and Myanmar if there was still no clarity over the number of Rohingya involved.

Of the 1,476 Myanmar nationals, Norman believed that the majority were undocumented migrants detained at Immigration Detention Depots (DTI) across Peninsular Malaysia for offences such as overstaying their Temporary Employment Visit Passes (PLKS) or standard work visas, being detained during Immigration Department (JIM) operations, working on tourist visas and other immigration violations.

The lawyer added that there was a possibility only a small number of undocumented Rohingya who were neither registered as refugees nor holders of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards were involved in the repatriation process, as it is widely known that the ethnic group is not recognised by the Myanmar government as citizens.

“That is why I am asking the government to clearly state how many ethnic Rohingya were involved. I am certain that many people from other ethnic groups were also voluntarily repatriated.

“If Malaysia has repatriated 1,476 people, there are another 3,524 remaining out of the 5,000. When will they be sent back? Even if the process is carried out in phases, it must be clear when and how many of its citizens the Myanmar government can take back.

“As long as this is not stated, there is nothing to be proud of,” he told Sinar Harian on Wednesday.

Norman added that the main demand from the public was for Malaysia to repatriate Myanmar refugees, particularly Rohingya from Rakhine, and to urge Myanmar to take back the Muslim minority group.

Meanwhile, he also called on the ministry to allow journalists from private media organisations, rather than limiting coverage to government media, to report on the Myanmar Detainee Repatriation Programme.

In his view, there was no reason to withhold information from the public unless there was an attempt to shape perceptions or influence public opinion for certain interests.

“For the sake of transparency and fairness, mainstream media and journalists from registered digital platforms should be allowed to cover the repatriation process involving Myanmar refugees because this is an issue of public concern,” he said.

A total of 1,476 Myanmar refugees, comprising 1,370 men, 79 women and 27 children, were repatriated under the first phase of the Myanmar Detainee Repatriation Programme at the Royal Malaysian Navy base in Lumut, Perak.

Sinar Harian