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Opinion | Malaysia shouldn’t use coronavirus as an excuse to reject Rohingya refugees
- Fear of forced relocation and the coronavirus pandemic in refugee camps are fuelling new waves of Rohingya refugees
- Malaysia should not turn them away. It is worth noting that the principle of non-refoulement is aligned with values espoused by Islam
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Malaysia is once again bracing for a fresh wave of displaced Rohingya refugees from Myanmar as recent news reports highlight how packed boats are in the Andaman Sea and Strait of Malacca, with officials turning them away.
A group of 202 Rohingya people did land on Langkawi on Malaysia’s west coast earlier this month and authorities estimate at least twice that number have already arrived undetected in the states of Kedah and Perlis.
While the desire for a better life has been the primary driver for Rohingya heading to Malaysia, fears of forced relocation from their temporary settlements in Cox’s Bazar to Bhashan Char, an island largely made of silt in the Bay of Bengal, and the withdrawal of aid agencies due to the coronavirus pandemic are among the factors fuelling the current migration.
The unfortunate reality for Malaysia is that officials from Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia know that Malaysia, not their own country, is the preferred destination of the Rohingya. If past experience is anything to go by, these officials are more than happy to point the Rohingya towards Malaysia.
Malaysia’s response so far seems to be centred on two approaches. For boats that are intercepted close to shore or onshore, their occupants are detained. For those intercepted further out at sea, they are turned around and escorted out of territorial waters.
Reports of multiple boats being pushed back indicate that a decision has been made to ignore Malaysia’s commitment to non-refoulement, or the assurance that asylum seekers will not be sent to a country where they may be persecuted or tortured.
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