Malaysia transit point for asylum seekers

Malaysia has become a transit point for illegal migrants seeking refugee status in Australia.

Malaysian government sources say enforcements agencies are currently in talks with their Australian counterparts to find ways of reducing people trafficking.

Asylum seekers from Pakistan and Afghanistan are paying large sums of money to Malaysian traffickers to smuggle them into Australia.

Presenter: Desmond Ang Speakers:

Dr Amanullah Jayhoon, Afghanistan Ambassador to Australia; Kay Shan from Amnesty International

Listen: Windows Media

ANG: The road to asylum in Australia is, apparently, paved through Malaysia. Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs say since the start of the year, Pakistani and Afghan asylum seekers have travelled to Malaysia - to find illegal human traffickers who can smuggle them into Australia.

JAYHOON: It's a difficult situation. They were brought to Malaysia and Indonesia and they were stuck there. They would say that when they get to Australia or some other places they would be in a better position.

ANG: Afghanistan Ambassador to Australia Dr Amanullah Jayhoon says in some situations, refugees were deceived by traffickers.

JAYHOON: Some of the smugglers have vanished and some of them have been brought to Malaysia for the hope of sending them to Europe and that they were stuck in Malaysia.

ANG: The Home Ministry says refugees arrive in Malaysia on tourist visas, then enter Indonesia illegally, from where they are then smuggled into Australia. But their journey is perilous aboard vessels ill-equipped for the choppy waters. Malaysian maritime authorities estimate at least 12 people have drowned in the past 2 months in Malaysia's waters.

JAYHOON: When we see the tragedies, boat which was exploded, boats in Malaysia where Afghans have been drowned, causing a lot of tragedies and therefore we need a lot of cooperation in arresting these culprits and bring them into justice.

ANG: Malaysian officials say Indonesians, Afghan and Pakistani refugees form the bulk of immigrants caught trying to cross the border into Indonesia. The illegal immigrants are believed to have paid human traffickers in their home countries, who then arrange tourist visas for them. Kay Shan from Amnesty International.

SHAN: Definitely this makes the situation worse in terms of migrant refugee's rights because they're fleeing for their safety against a particular abuser or prosecution from their country and then they come to a third country and then again they're subjected to another form of torture or even exploitation. I think then again right from the beginning to the end they continue to suffer human rights violation, this is another form of human rights violation that the government should be prepared to look into.

ANG: NGOs in Malaysia know very little about these human trafficking scams, but Kay Shan feels this could be due to Malaysia's foreign policy.

SHAN: We believe theres a lot of cases out there where people are leaving voluntarily, secretly from Malaysia to Indonesia because the neighbouring country's close and definitely to other countries like Australia. I think it exists because when they come into Malaysia they come into a vacuum where they lose their rights and their freedom to move and protection, that's why they have to find a way out .

ANG: Mr Shan says Malaysia does not recognise refugees.

He says anyone caught entering Malaysia illegally is deported or placed in a detention centre. Malaysia has stepped up patrols along its coast recently - deploying helicopters, boats and an aircraft in response to the increase in illegal immigrants.

Malaysia denies Burmese human trafficking

by Usa Pichai

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Malaysia has refuted US accusations that thousands of deported Burmese migrants were handed over to human traffickers in Thailand, while more migrants crossed over to Thailand, after the announcement of the new round of migrant worker’s registration.

Malaysian Home Ministry Secretary General Mahmood Adam said that the officials have found no evidence to support the claim. "The government had already initiated a few internal investigations, but it's baseless," the Associated Press quoted him as saying on Tuesday.

Human trafficking of Burmese migrants also sparked the debate between the Malaysian government and US lawmakers in April. The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations said in a report made public in April that illegal Myanmar migrants deported from Malaysia were forced to work in brothels, fishing boats and restaurants across the border in Thailand if they had no money to buy their freedom.

The report was based on a year long review by committee staff who spoke to migrants from military-ruled Myanmar, also known as Burma, and human rights activists.

According to the Senate Committee report, "a few thousand" Burmese migrants in recent years might have become victims of extortion and trafficking once they were deported across Malaysia's northern border with Thailand.

The U.N. refugee agency has registered 47,600 refugees living in Malaysia as of the end of March of whom 42,300 are from Burma.

Meanwhile, many more migrants from Burma have crossed the border illegally in search of work in Thailand. But a local NGO worker in Ranong border town warned that it is dangerous for the workers for they could be cheated by the human traffickers and sent to work in dangerous jobs such as in the fishing sector without pay.

“The incident where 54 Burmese died in frozen container truck last year is a serious tragedy. Even though, authorities arrested six of the eight suspects, this kind of incident should not happen again, ” the source said.

“Recently, the Thai government announced that it will open migrant registration this year for work in businesses where there is labour shortage. This would help more people from Burma to find work opportunities in Thailand,” the source added.

Ranong is a border town close to Kawthong township in Burma, where around 100,000 people are from Burma. In addition, it is the gateway for migrants who want to work down south of Thailand.

Last week, Thai authorities in Mae Sot border with Myawaddy township of Burma tried to stop two trucks suspected to be transporting illegal workers. The trucks met with an accident and careened off the road. The policed found 28 undocumented Burmese migrants with minor injuries. They were later deported to Burma but the drivers of the trucks fled.

Two Burmese Die in Malaysian Detention Center

By WAI MOE


KUALA LUMPUR — Two Burmese migrant workers who were detained at an immigration detention center in Malaysia have died of leptospirosi, an ailment caused by unhealthy drinking water, sources said.

According to the Burma Worker Rights Protection Committee, two migrant workers died in Bukit Mertajam at Bukit Mertajam Hospital following their detention in Juru Immigration Detention Center in Pulau Pinang Province.

“We heard that a second Burmese from the immigration camp died on Monday. On May 12, another Burmese died of the same cause,” said Ye Min Tun, the secretary of the group. The names of the dead were not available.

“There is no proper drinking water system for detained foreigners,” said Ye Min Tun.
“There is no health care for detainees.”

Malaysian health officials told local newspapers that about 25 people from the immigration camp have contracted leptospirosi and are being treated now. One man is in critical condition.

Leptospirosis is commonly transmitted by allowing water that has been contaminated by animal urine to come into contact with unhealed cuts or abrasions on the skin, eyes or mucous membranes. It is a relatively rare bacterial infection in humans, health experts said.

“Out of the 23 cases under treatment as of yesterday, one has died. Three were discharged, leaving 19 cases still under treatment now,” said Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, in a statement.

Former inmates said that water storage facilities in the detention camp are near toilet areas. There are three buildings in the camp. An estimated 700 foreigners, held by immigration authorities for various offenses, are detained there.

Earlier this year, two Burmese migrant workers died at a detention center. Two men, indentified as Ko Paul and Kyaw Swa, died in January 2008, sources said. No cause of death was given.

“After they tighten the rules in the centers, immigration officials and RELA [a government-backed group that focuses on illegal immigration] harassed detainees at the center,” said a former detainee who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He said that during searches detainees are sometimes beaten. RELA is a mass group that is used to suppress illegal migrant workers in Malaysia. Human rights groups say RELA members are not trained properly as professionals. In 2005, authorities granted RELA the right to help oversee immigration detention centers and arrest illegal migrants.
In an effort to escape economic hardship at home, millions of Burmese migrant workers are in neighboring countries in Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia and Thailand.

Malaysia is home to an estimated 500,000 Burmese migrant workers, illegally or legally, while Thailand hosts at least 2.5 million migrant workers from Burma.

“Malaysia is not a good place for foreigner migrants, particularly migrant workers,” said Latheefa Koya, a well-know Malaysian human rights lawyer. Human rights standards for migrant workers are low, she said, and there is also a high level of xenophobia, which compounds the problem.

Malaysia needs to reform its migrant worker laws, which now allow systematic abuse of migrant workers, she said.

This story was written under a 2009 Southeast Asian Press Alliance Fellowship

U.S. Senate Releases Report on Abuses in Malaysia, Raids Continue

Even as the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations publicly released its report documenting the mistreatment of Burmese migrants in Malaysia, the Malaysian authorities continue to conduct raids on refugee neighborhoods in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. CHRO calls for UNHCR to take immediate action to intervene on behalf of detained Chin refugees and asylum seekers.

The Malaysian authorities rounded up and detained some 300 migrants, including small children, during raids in the Imbi neighborhood of Kuala Lumpur late Wednesday night, April 22. Over 100 Chin refugees and asylum seekers are among those arrested, including 14 children and two pregnant women. The authorities have been conducting similar raids throughout the city with increasing frequency during this past month.

In the midst of ongoing raids in Malaysia, half the world away, the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations publicly released its report Trafficking and Extortion of Burmese Migrants in Malaysia and Southern Thailand, calling on the Malaysian government to address problems of trafficking and other abuses in Malaysia. The report findings include the involvement of Malaysian officials in the arrest, detention, and extortion of Burmese migrants and refugees; mistreatment of detainees in detention facilities, including whippings and torture; and the transfer of Burmese migrants and refugees to traffickers for payment. Burmese migrants and refugees in the hands of traffickers are subject to further extortion and mistreatment and are at risk of being sold into the fishing or sex industry. The report is based on a one-year investigation by the Senate Committee and includes information provided by NGOs, including CHRO, as well as first-hand testimony from trafficking victims.

“Chin refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia have long been subject to abuse and exploitation by Malaysian officials and their operatives,” said Salai Bawi Lian Mang, Executive Director of CHRO. “We appreciate this initiative by the U.S. government and hope it will put pressure on the Malaysian government to act responsibly towards migrants and refugees living within its borders.”

The 106 Chin refugees and asylum seekers caught up in the raids earlier this week are currently being held in Bukit Jali police station. According to Kennedy Lal Ram Lian, coordinator of the Chin Refugee Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, “No one has been released- not even UNHCR card holders.” More than 10 Chin detainees are UNHCR-recognized refugees awaiting resettlement to a third country. If they are deported to the border, they are at risk of being sold to traffickers.

 

According to the report, any person involved in the trafficking of migrants and refugees may be subject to prosecution not only in Malaysia and Thailand but also in the U.S. under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Based on the report findings, the proposed recommendations of the Committee include:

     * Investigation and prosecution of persons involved in the trafficking of Burmese and other refugees;

    * Increased assistance to victims of human trafficking in Malaysia;

    * Increased funding to local community leaders and political activists to combat the trafficking of persons from Malaysia into southern Thailand;

    * Consideration of alternatives to detention for refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia;

    * Free and unhindered access for UNHCR officials to all Malaysian facilities where Burmese persons and other asylum seekers are detained;

    * Promotion of refugee protection standards in Malaysia.

The full findings and recommendations of the Senate committee report can be found online at:http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html.

The Chin community represents one of the largest refugee communities from Burma living in Malaysia. For more than ten years, the Chin people have fled to Malaysia to escape persecution, torture, and severe oppression in Burma. In Malaysia they are the constant target of harassment, arrest, detention, and deportation by the Malaysian authorities. They are unable to work, receive an education, access healthcare services, or find acceptable living accommodations.

Chin Human Rights Organization

2-Montavista Avenue, Nepean, ON K2J 2L3, Canada

Tel: +1.510.223.0983

www.chro.org