More Myanmar migrants in Malaysia seek refugee status
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Htet Nadi/ Pearl (NP News) - Sep 15
According to those who work for Myanmar workers abroad, there has been an increase in illegal Myanmar workers in Malaysia applying for refugee status.
Malaysia has also reported that Myanmar workers who are illegally present in the country, excluding those legally employed with passports or refugees, are being arrested and are working with daily anxiety.
Some illegal workers work in entertainment businesses such as massage parlors and KTVs. On September 6, 21 Myanmar women were arrested and detained at a KTV in Nilai, Malaysia, and taken into custody under the Immigration Act.
“The arrests in Malaysia have been going on for over a year or two now. They haven't stopped at all. The authorities keep arresting people continuously. Recently, they announced that 21 Myanmar women, including entertainers, were arrested at a KTV. The detention centers are already overcrowded with foreign nationals being held. They say deportations are being carried out. People are deported almost every day. The Myanmar Embassy verifies the identities of those detained, and, if they can prove they are Myanmar nationals, issues the necessary forms. Then, at the embassy, one has to pay 730 ringgits for the air ticket. If there’s no criminal case, they are deported within a few days. Sometimes, hundreds are arrested in just one day. By now, it's likely reaching tens of thousands,” said a person assisting Myanmar migrant workers abroad, speaking to The Statesman journal.
The Malaysian government has been detaining and deporting illegal migrants, including Myanmar nationals, to their home countries. Tens of thousands of Myanmar nationals have been detained and repatriated, it has been reported.
Therefore, more and more people, mostly ethnic Myanmar nationals who have illegally arrived in Malaysia, are applying for refugee status, but few are receiving it.
“Apart from refugees holding UNHCR cards, people with legal passports, and those who have applied for and received permits, the rest are being arrested almost every day, regardless of their identity or card. The UNHCR opens applications for refugee status. However, the Malaysian government does not arrest only those who have been accepted as refugees. They also arrest all those who are still applying. There are more people applying than before. There are more ethnic groups. Some people have families in other countries and it is easier to leave, so they apply, and some people come because of internal difficulties. The restrictions have increased a lot. It is not as easy as before. Before, they used to approve the applications continuously, but now approvals are slow. Anyway, Myanmar people don't stop applying. Other citizens also apply, so it is a mess,” he continued. –