Providing refugees a safe haven stretches resources, says Malaysian rep

Edmund Bon said Malaysia currently “houses one of the largest numbers of Myanmar refugees”.

According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are about 192,800 refugees and asylum-seekers registered in Malaysia, including 174,410 from Myanmar comprising Rohingya, Chin, and other ethnic groups as of March.

The UNHCR also said about US$2.18 million is needed to provide for these refugees.

“It stretches our resources,” Bon told FMT.

He said neighbouring countries are for most of the time caught between a rock and hard place when it comes to taking in refugees.

He said no one wants to be a refugee, but persecution they face by their own governments forced them to flee.

“In general, the neighbouring countries feel compelled to provide these refugees a safe haven on humanitarian grounds and international law, but at the same time, there is a challenge when it comes to funding,” he said.

Bon said he has conveyed the challenges that come with hosting refugees to AICHR’s Myanmar representative.

Myanmar is currently ravaged by a civil war between the ruling junta, led by Min Aung Hlaing, and a broad-based opposition, which includes numerous armed organisations.

At an event earlier today, Bon said Malaysia is proposing for a declaration, tentatively titled “Asean declaration on promoting the right to development and peace towards realising inclusive and sustainable development”, at the AICHR’s summit this year.

The aim of the declaration is to anticipate and address root causes of regional problems early on and be more proactive in tackling Asean issues than just reacting to them.

“The declaration is based on core Asean principles, recognising human rights to peace and development towards ensuring intergenerational equity, fair distribution and cooperation,” he said.