KUALA LUMPUR – An NGO focused on lobbying for the rights and welfare of Rohingya refugees has called on the United Nations and the Malaysian government to put in motion a sound and workable solution for the community.
Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, president of the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation in Malaysia, said that Rohingya subjected to indefinite detention will see their mental health affected, compounding their existing condition as victims of genocide.
Referring to the fatal accident involving six Rohingya who escaped from the Sg Bakap temporary detention camp in Penang yesterday, he expressed sadness at the tragedy in the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
“It is heartbreaking to see how they died, especially the children,” he said in a statement today.
“Though we do not know exactly what triggered their escape from the detention camp, we believe a long detention led them to flee the detention camp.”
He stressed that being survivors of genocide in Myanmar, the Rohingya suffered from trauma and other psychological problems which are untreated most of the time.
Zafar stressed that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Putrajaya need to provide protection and a sound solution for Rohingya in accordance with international law.
“Indefinite detention will definitely affect their mental health as victims of genocide,” he said in a statement today.
“As a member of the UNHCR, we humbly request the Malaysian government to allow UNHCR access to the detainees,” he added.
“We hope the government, Suhakam and UNHCR will sit together to find a durable solution for Rohingya.”
Zafar welcomed the government’s intention to conduct a thorough investigation, as well as Suhakam’s effort to send a team to the detention camp to probe the incident.
Yesterday morning, six of 528 escaped immigration detainees died in a road accident while fleeing the authorities after their escape from the detention depot in Sg Bakap.
Earlier today, Kedah police chief Datuk Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad said some 130 of the escapees are still at large, while a total of 398 detainees have been arrested.
Zafar also noted that the situation in Myanmar has not changed. “This forced the people of Myanmar including the Rohingya to constantly flee to the neighbouring countries to seek refuge.
“Therefore, the international pressure to Myanmar is very crucial in order to stop the Rohingya genocide and to restore democracy in Myanmar in order to save the lives of civilians,” he said.
“The failure of doing this resulted in the deaths of many innocent lives, including women and children, as what had happened recently where six Rohingya died while crossing a highway after they fled the detention camp here yesterday.” – The Vibes, April 21, 2022
