When refugees are not provided with accomodation and food, as they should be, they really have to earn money to survive

They are refugees and people of concern - but alas in Malaysia, there is no provision of accomodation and food for these refugees. The problem is a problem with the UN and its member nations not providing sufficient funds so that it is possible to house refugees (and people of concern) whilst their application is being processed, or they are awaiting re-settlement in a third country.

 

Refugees are not allowed to legally work in Malaysia - possibly because Malaysia does not want to jeopardize relationship with Burma, or maybe because Burmese government is already involved in sending migrant workers in Malaysia. To survive, these refugees need money - and so they have been working and 'doing business' to earn money to survive, and Malaysia has compassionately not made too a big a deal about this

Malaysian laws only recognize undocumented and documented migrants - not refugees. Malaysia really need laws to deal with refugees and asylum seekers. Laws that will stipulate the relevant procedures and rights of all concerned.

The Association needs to not foolishly ask on UNHCR to stop according refugee status - Do you know what a refugee is?

Myanmar refugees taking over markets

By JASPAL SINGH | news@nst.com.my

PREVALENT IN KLANG VALLEY: Their refugee status does not allow them to conduct business

IPOH: THE Federation of Vegetable Wholesalers Associations of Malaysia wants  the Home Ministry,  police and Immigration to be strict in dealing with Myanmar refugees.

Despite their refugee status, the foreigners have taken over several markets in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur and selling vegetables, it claims.

Treasurer Chong Tek Keong said some of them had also hired fellow refugees as workers.

He said hundreds, if not thousands, of Myanmar nationals with refugee cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees were trading vegetables at all wholesale markets in the Klang Valley.

These illegal traders, he said, could be found at wholesale markets in Jalan Chow Kit, Jalan Pudu, Selayang, Puchong and Klang.

He added that the problem was prevalent only in the Klang Valley and not in other states.

The federation's call for the authorities to clamp down on the illegal traders was one of the issues raised during its annual general meeting (AGM) here.

"Their businesses are affecting our members'.

"Over the years, our profits have suffered by 30 per cent because these refugees are obtaining their supply directly from vegetable farms, including those in Cameron Highlands.

"They have formed a good connection with vegetable farmers," he said after the AGM.

Chong, who is also president of the Kuala Lumpur Vegetable Wholesalers Association, said enforcement needed to be carried out irrespective of UNHCR intervention.

He complained about UNHCR's repeated defence of refugees, who were caught abusing their refugee status by conducting illegal businesses. He said every time police and Immigration arrested them, it would step in to get them released.

This intervention, he said might have emboldened the refugees to carry out their business at wholesale markets, adding that UNHCR should provide them placements in other countries.

He said some of the Myanmar refugees, who total about 9,000, according to UNHCR data, had refused to leave Malaysia after establishing themselves in the country.

"Some of these refugees are doing so well that they have become bosses and hired fellow refugees as workers. When the UNHCR found them placements in foreign countries, they refused to leave Malaysia.

"By right, they cannot conduct businesses with their refugee status. That is what the federation was told by the Home Ministry. They are allowed to do only odd jobs.

"We hope police and Immigration will be stricter in enforcing the law against them.

"We hope the UNHCR will stop issuing refugee status.

"From a few hundreds in the past, there are 9,000 now. Does the refugee agency want to increase the number to 15,000? We are already facing social problems created by them."

Chong said the federation had last week sent a letter to UNHCR requesting to meet the agency to discuss the problem of vegetable trading being carried out by Myanmar refugees in Klang Valley. However, it had not received a response.

Myanmar nationals selling vegetables at the Selayang wet market in Kuala Lumpur.

Read more: Myanmar refugees taking over markets - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/myanmar-refugees-taking-over-markets-1.306411#ixzz2X6dJ1iIN

4,400 Burmese Migrants in Malaysian Immigration Detention Centres for undocumented migrants

Why are the Burmese migrants returning to Malaysia? Is it because there have been several incidents, where Burmese migrants have been victims of violence and even death? Or is it because of the new crackdown by the Malaysian police where over 1,000 Burmese migrants have been arrested? Who is committing these violence  is unclear? Is it locals or foreigners? Is Malaysia using the 'ethnic clashes' in Burma as a justification for a selective crackdown on Burmese migrants in Malaysia? We have not heard of the status of the police investigations.... And, is it not odd that people (possible witnesses or suspects) are being send back to Burma before the investigations are completed and the alleged perpetrators are brought to justice? 

Are the Burmese migrants returning of their own free will - or are they really being 'deported'? How many documented migrants have returned - that would be an indicator as to why they are returning? For the undocumented migrants who have been arrested and in detention, leaving to go back to Burma speedily at this time when Myanmar government is supporting, and there are people offering free flight home, many would grab this opportunity rather than continue to languish in the Immigration Detention Centres for undocumented migrants. At present, there are 4,400 undocumented migrants in Malaysia's Immigration Detention Centres for undocumented migrants... that is really a very large number...

Sadly, even alternative media that reports seem to be biased in their reporting when it comes to this issue? Their 'independence' may be affected possibly by personal reasons or bias when it comes to this issue... After all, the Burmese Muslim groups have come out and stated that they are not involved...

“We don’t know who did these attacks,” says San Win, chairman of the Malaysia Myanmar Free Funeral Service, a Kuala Lumpur-based group that assists Burmese migrants. Flicking through gory photos of roughly stitched victims of the violence, he adds, “but we think it could be the Rohingya people.”

The president of the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHOM), Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, disputes this speculation.

“This is not correct,” he says, citing previous attacks by Buddhists on Muslims in Burma, which he says did not prompt sectarian reprisals in Malaysia. “We have to respect Malaysian law and if any Rohingya breaks the law, we don’t support it,” Abdul Ghani adds. - The Irrawaddy, 13/6/2013, Burmese Migrant Community in Malaysia Simmers after Attacks

BURMA

Violence in Malaysia Has Some Burmese Heading for Exits

By SAW YAN NAING / THE IRRAWADDY| Friday, June 14, 2013 |

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Aung Myo Oo, a Burmese migrant who was attacked by unknown assailants on June 3, 2013, lies in a hospital bed in Kuala Lumpur recovering from his injuries. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

A week after a series of violent attacks that has left five Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia dead, and as local authorities talk of deporting thousands arrested in connection with the violence, many Burmese in the country are considering leaving voluntarily—if they can.

“Many migrants who obtained work permits want to leave Malaysia now because they are very afraid. They no longer want to stay here,” said Myat Ko, a Burmese migrant living in Kuala Lumpur.

According to Myat Ko, who is a member of a network of Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia, 18 Burmese nationals left the country on Thursday, and many more are expected to return to Burma in the coming days. Among them, he said, are around 800 who have overstayed their visas, making them vulnerable to the police sweep that has ensued in the wake of a series of attacks from May 30 to June 7.

The attacks, carried out by unknown assailants, and apparently targeting Burmese Buddhists, have raised fears of further violence to come, despite assurances from the Malaysian government that it has the situation under control.

On Friday, Burmese state-run media reported that a total of five people had died as a result of the attacks, up from previous reports of four fatalities. Several others have been hospitalized.

In response to the panic among some Burmese in Malaysia, several of Burma’s richest businessmen, including Aung Ko Win, chairman of Kanbawza Bank, Zaw Zaw, the managing director of the Max Myanmar Group, and Tay Za, founder of the Htoo Trading Company, have pledged to help those wish to return.

“Some will get a free ticket, while others will get a 50 percent discount to fly back to Burma,” said Myat Ko, who is also involved in fundraising efforts.

However, lack of return airfare is not the only obstacle for some who don’t want to stay in Malaysia. Many say that bureaucratic red tape at the Burmese embassy, where they are expected to submit ID certificates and other documents before they are permitted to return, is another problem. Others say that their Malaysian employers won’t let them leave unless they pay a 1,000- ringgit (US $320) fine.

On Thursday, Malaysia’s Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Jaafar said after a meeting with a visiting Burmese delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Zin Yaw that his government is seeking Burmese cooperation in repatriating Burmese nationals.

“We have 4,400 Myanmars detained in immigration detention centers now, and we have invited the Myanmar authorities, especially the embassy, to… bring them back,” the Malaysian minister said, according to a report by Agence France-Presse.

He also called on the UN refugee agency UNHCR to expedite processing of Burmese refugees who feel they can’t return to Burma.

There are an estimated 95,000 Burmese refugees living in Malaysia. They are allowed to stay in the country, but are not granted legal status.

There are believed to be a total of 400,000 Burmese nationals living in Malaysia, including many undocumented migrants and holders of fake UNHCR registration cards.- The Irrawaddy, 14/6/2013, Violence in Malaysia Has Some Burmese Heading for Exits

Burmese Migrant Community in Malaysia Simmers after Attacks ( THE IRRAWADDY)

See also earlier post:-  More than 1,000 migrant workers from Burma arrested in Malaysia

More than 1,000 Burmese migrants - but alas, what should have been a major human rights concern was almost not reported in mainstream and/or alternative media in Malaysia. Who committed the crime is also still uncertain - but certainly there is no justification for a major crackdown on Burmese migrants...

BURMA

Burmese Migrant Community in Malaysia Simmers after Attacks

By SIMON ROUGHNEEN / THE IRRAWADDY| Thursday, June 13, 2013 |

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Burmese shops and businesses are pictured near Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo: Simon Roughneen / The Irrawaddy)

KUALA LUMPUR — Differing accounts are emerging from Burmese migrants and refugees in Malaysia about recent deadly violence here that has claimed several lives and pitted Burmese groups in Malaysia against each other.

The deaths, which prompted the arrest of hundreds of Burmese nationals by Malaysian police, are being described as spillover from recent Buddhist-Muslim clashes in Burma.

“We don’t know who did these attacks,” says San Win, chairman of the Malaysia Myanmar Free Funeral Service, a Kuala Lumpur-based group that assists Burmese migrants. Flicking through gory photos of roughly stitched victims of the violence, he adds, “but we think it could be the Rohingya people.”

The president of the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHOM), Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, disputes this speculation.

“This is not correct,” he says, citing previous attacks by Buddhists on Muslims in Burma, which he says did not prompt sectarian reprisals in Malaysia. “We have to respect Malaysian law and if any Rohingya breaks the law, we don’t support it,” Abdul Ghani adds.

Tun Tun, a Burmese Muslim who has long worked to assist Burmese workers living in Malaysia, says that two Muslims were killed in the recent clashes. Tun Tun, who is head of the Burma Campaign Malaysia, says that seven people have been killed—a number at odds with Malaysian police accounts of the recent attacks, which suggest that four have died, all thought to be ethnic Burman Buddhists.

The attacks have raised concerns that the deaths were the result of reprisal attacks by Burmese Muslims living in Malaysia, retaliating after dozens of Muslims were killed in violence over recent months in various outbreaks of religious violence across Burma.

“It started here after Lashio,” says San Win, referring to Buddhist riots and looting that took place in Lashio, the biggest town in eastern Burma’s Shan State. Those clashes started after a May 28 attack, reportedly perpetrated by a Muslim man on a Buddhist woman, and left around 1,400 Muslims homeless.

“But we always try to maintain friendship here [in Malaysia] with Muslims,” San Win adds.

Similarly, Tun Tun says that though relations between Burma’s Muslims and Buddhists in Malaysia have typically been cordial, there has been a marked deterioration in recent months.

Citing what he perceives to be Burmese media bias and exaggerated claims on social networking websites, Tun Tun says discord between Burma’s Muslim and Buddhist migrants is overhyped.

“Some of the 969 movement supporters brought the anti-Muslim campaign to here five months ago, [since] then both side are not trusting each other,” he says, referring to a push by Burmese monk Wirathu and other Buddhist nationalists to boycott Muslim businesses and, some say, incite violence against Muslims in Burma.

Commercial Repercussions

The recent attacks have stalled commerce for Burmese in Malaysia’s biggest city. Next to Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, Bangladeshi, Filipino, and Indonesian migrants run shops and restaurants on side streets, a hectic din of sales pitches, frying snacks and belching traffic.

Along the nearby Burmese strip, demarcated by signs reading “Kampung [Malay for village] Myanmar,” business has been down in recent days, according to Thu Ya, who runs a Burmese restaurant just around the corner from central Kuala Lumpur’s main bus station.

“A lot of people are staying home, not as much for the violence, but because of the arrests,” he says, speaking while waitresses in Burmese dress ferried drinks and Burmese snacks to the smattering of lunchtime patrons on the premises. One of Thu Ya’s staff remains in detention after being caught up in the Malaysian police dragnet cast after the recent attacks, which mostly took place in Selayang, about seven miles from downtown Kuala Lumpur.

In the Shan Taung Dan restaurant across the same street, a recent arrival from Mandalay, Burma’s second city, says that though concerned by the recent murders and arrests, Burmese migrants around Kuala Lumpur are trying to revert to “our normal life here.”

The man, who asked that his name be withheld, says he landed in Malaysia just two months ago. “I need to make money,” he says. “Yes, reform is good in Myanmar, but is [happening] slowly. So you cannot yet find a good job at home,” he laments.

Between 400,000 and 500,000 Burmese migrants are thought to be living in Southeast Asia’s third-biggest economy, drawn by the prospect of low-paying, heavy-lifting jobs in construction and on plantations. According to the United Nations, there are almost 100,000 Burmese refugees in Malaysia.

The Mandalay native says that many people are more concerned about being arrested by Malaysian police than anything else. “Many people don’t have documents. That is why they stay home these days,” he says.

Malaysian press accounts report that the country’s Immigration Department is investigating how 307 detained Burmese came to possess fake refugee papers.

Burma’s other ethnic and religious minorities in Malaysia are wary, fearing members of their communities might be dragged into what is now a simmering sectarian feud. Israel Lal Hmun Siam, a Christian ethnic Chin living in Kuala Lumpur, says “people are worried they might be attacked mistakenly.”

Siam, who works for the Chin Refugee Committee, a support group for the estimated 40,000 Chin Burmese in Malaysia, believes that the recent Kuala Lumpur violence is a spillover from Burma.

“If they solve the conflict in Myanmar, then no problem here,” he claims.

That seems far off, however, with MERHOM’s Abdul Ghani interrupting an interview to take what he said was a call from Burma’s Arakan State. “There was more cutting today, 10 people,” he says, referring to what he says was an attack by Arakanese on Rohingya near Kyauktaw Township.

A Burmese government delegation is currently in Malaysia to assess the situation among Burmese migrants after the recent violence, with Malaysian authorities on Thursday warning Burmese migrants not to restart the recent clashes.

But San Win says he thinks the Burmese government is more concerned with maintaining good relations with its fellow Asean nation than with assisting the Burmese in Malaysia. “They just stay quiet when I tell them the problems here,” he says.

“For now, people are still afraid here.” - The Irrawaddy, 13/6/2013, Burmese Migrant Community in Malaysia Simmers after Attacks

More than 1,000 migrant workers from Burma arrested in Malaysia

“They should arrest those who committed killing. Instead, they arrest all the Burmese they see,”

Reports of about 1,000 migrants from Burma being arrested by Malaysian police in connection with recent deaths of 3 Burmese workers.

“We have taken steps to prevent further bloodshed by picking up more than 1,000 Myanmar workers, mainly in Sentul, Cheras, Brickfields and Dang Wangi,” Amar Singh [Kuala Lumpur’s deputy police chief, Sr Asst Comr Datuk Amar Singh] was quoted as saying, adding that illegal migrants to the country would be detained on a more permanent basis.

This is unacceptable, for only suspects involved in the killings should be arrested - not all the Burmese they see.  All persons shall be presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Who did the killing? Well, really there is uncertainty - Was it local youth? Was it some 'gangs'? Most migrant workers, documented or undocumented, are here for economic reasons and in some cases, when it involves Burmese, it is to flee an oppressive Burmese regime. There has been lifting of sanctions but really nothing (or very little has changed) for the people of Burma (Myanmmar) on the ground - hence there is little movement back to Burma of people who have fled the country.

One Myanmar migrant worker was killed and two others injured in separate attacks by some gangs of Malaysian youths in the northern suburbs of the capital of Kuala Lumpur on May 30-31...Some reports quoted Myanmar Embassy in Malaysia as saying that on May 30, a Myanmar worker working at a vegetable shop in Selayang Market, was attacked by a gang of unidentified motorcyclists when he was on his way back home...On the next day, another Myanmar worker was attacked in similar fashion. And on the same day, a Myanmar national living in western Selayang was killed by a gang...- People's Daily Online(English), 5/6/2005, Myanmar urges probe into attack on its workers in Malaysia

Is what is happening in Malaysia anything to do with ethnic clashes in Myanmar?  I have serious doubts about this..., and a propagation of this unconfirmed theory is wrong.  

We recall a similar case around 1998/9, when based hundreds of Indonesians were arrested in Johor on the basis that a witness to a killing said that the suspects sounded like Indonesians ...are we now seeing a repeat of this? But, here the victims are Burmese - the identity of the alleged perpetrators are unclear, it could have been anyone - so, is the mass arrest of Burmese reasonable or justified. Are the incidents or killings even committed by the same people? Is it the Burmese that are are being targeted, for after all an Indonesian worker was also killed in Kepong. Now, media does not report all killings... I wonder whether all this is anything to do with the outcome of the recent General Elections? There is just too many possibilities, and only good police investigation will reveal the truth - not mass arrests of persons.

Police should do their job properly, and only arrest suspects - not go on a massive crackdown on people from Burma.

BURMA

Malaysia Detains Hundreds of Burmese after Reports of Killings

By SAW YAN NAING / THE IRRAWADDY| Thursday, June 6, 2013

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Two injured Burmese nationals are pictured at a hospital in Kaula Lumpur. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)

About 1,000 Burmese nationals in Malaysia have been “picked up” by Malaysian police forces in recent days after at least three Burmese migrants were allegedly killed by a group of Muslims in Kuala Lumpur.

Multiple clashes involving Burmese people in Kuala Lumpur and surrounding Selangor State have been reported since May 30, resulting in the deaths of three Burmese workers. Several others have been hospitalized with injuries, according to Burmese migrant workers in the Malaysian capital.

The killings have been linked to religious violence in Burma, where anti-Muslim sentiment has led Buddhist extremists to launch attacks against the country’s minority Muslims, leaving more than 200 Muslims dead over the last year.

Kuala Lumpur’s deputy police chief, Sr Asst Comr Datuk Amar Singh, told The Star Online that Malaysian authorities had begun to detain the Burmese nationals in order to prevent further possible violence.

“We have taken steps to prevent further bloodshed by picking up more than 1,000 Myanmar workers, mainly in Sentul, Cheras, Brickfields and Dang Wangi,” Amar Singh was quoted as saying, adding that illegal migrants to the country would be detained on a more permanent basis.

San Win, a Burmese migrant worker in Kuala Lumpur, told The Irrawaddy that Burmese people in Malaysia had contacted the Burmese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur seeking protection after they were attacked by a group of armed men who were believed to be Muslims.

He said, however, that the Burmese people had not received adequate protection from the Burmese Embassy. He said Burmese nationals, most of whom are Buddhists, were living in fear amid Malaysia’s majority-Muslim population.

On Thursday, five representatives of Burmese communities in Malaysia staged a protest in front of the Burmese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, criticizing the Burmese ambassador to Malaysia, Tin Latt, for failing to provide protection to Burmese people living abroad in Malaysia.

Myat Ko Ko, an organizer of the protest, said that Malaysian authorities would launch a nationwide crackdown on Burmese nationals in the coming weeks.

The protesters also called on the Burmese Embassy to identify the bodies of those killed over the last week and to aid the families of the deceased. They demanded assistance from Burma’s diplomatic mission in Malaysia for those Burmese nationals hospitalized or in hiding as a result of the recent violence.

Myat Ko Ko said that the crackdown and detainments increased significantly after Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Zin Yaw on Tuesday urged Malaysia’s ambassador to Burma, Ahmad Faisal Bin Muhamad, to take action against those who committed the killings and to prevent further violence.

Win Aung, a Burmese migrant in Kuala Lumpur, said the detentions were made over the last few days.

“Malaysian police, immigration officials and paramilitary militias started special operations in the evening of Tuesday and the whole day on Wednesday,” he said. “They arrested both undocumented and documented migrants.”

One Burmese migrant worker in Kuala Lumpur, who asked for anonymity, questioned the priorities of Malaysia’s law enforcers.

“They should arrest those who committed killing. Instead, they arrest all the Burmese they see,” he said.

It is estimated that there are more than 400,000 Burmese nationals living in Malaysia, including documented and undocumented migrant workers as well as UN-registered refugees.- The Irrawady, 6/6/2013, Malaysia Detains Hundreds of Burmese after Reports of Killings

Published: Monday June 3, 2013 MYT 11:06:00 PM
Updated: Monday June 3, 2013 MYT 11:20:48 PM

Foreign worker brutally stabbed to death in Kepong

By NICHOLAS CHENG

Policemen carrying the body of the 30-year-old Indonesian worker who was stabbed.

 

KUALA LUMPUR: A foreigner working as a wiring subcontract was brutally stabbed to death in Desa Park City, Kepong on Monday.

In the 7.30pm incident, the victim, a 30-year-old Indonesian worker was believed to be returning home for dinner when the suspects attacked him.

Deputy Sentul OCPD Supt Othman Abu Bakar said the man was found dead by the roadside with parts of his stomach cut open and stab wounds on his chin and back.

He said authorities were looking for two suspects, who were seen attacking the man.

"We believe that one assailant used a knife to attack him, while another stood watch.

"The suspects, who are also believed to be foreigners, escaped shortly after," he said.

Othman said two witnesses have been brought in to assist investigations and that the case was being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, Othman said that a similar incident involving a Myanmar national had occurred earlier at around 3.30pm in a wholesale market in Sentul.

The 27-year-old victim, who is a vegetable delivery boy, was stabbed by two assailants in the face, back of the head and both arms.

"He is in very critical condition and has been sent to the Selayang Hospital.

No arrests have been made yet," he said.- Star Online, 4/6/2013, Foreign worker brutally stabbed to death in Kepong

5 Foreign workers at a garment factory perished in a fire in Parit Buntar

 4 June 2013| last updated at 09:38PM

5 Foreign workers perished in a fire in Parit Buntar

By Roshidi Abu Samah | roshidi@nst.com.my

PARIT BUNTAR: Five foreign workers were believed to be burnt to death in a fire which completely destroyed a used clothes processing factory in Kampung Parit Haji Awi, Bagan Tiang here today.

North Zone Fire and Rescue Department senior officer Zainuddin Abdul Rahim said as at 7pm yesterday two bodies of Myanmar male workers were recovered from the site.

 

He said the Fire and rescue Department does not rule out the possibility that there are three more victims yet to be found based on the information provided by the factory owner.

 

"We will continue the search operation to trace the remaining three who are probably trapped under the rubble.

 

"We are using K-9 sniffer dogs from Kuala Lumpur for this purpose," he told reporters here yesterday.

 

Zainuddin said the department is still investigating the cause of the fire and the total amount of losses.

 

Meanwhile Bagan Tiang voluntary fire brigade secretary  Soon Yeh Thung said the fire started at about 3pm and they were alerted by the public at about 3.15pm.

 

He said more than 100 volunteer firefighters were also involved in helping to control the fire.

 

"The low water pressure had make it difficult for us to douse off the fire. The fire was finally extinguished at 5.30pm, after fighting it for more than two hours," he added. - New Straits Times, 4/6/2013,5 Foreign workers perished in a fire in Parit Buntar