State your stand on UNHCR, govt told
National Security Council director-general Rodzi Md Saad has suggested shutting down the UNHCR office in Malaysia to allow Putrajaya to manage refugees in the country without ‘foreign interference’. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy has urged Putrajaya to clearly state its position on the presence of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia.
Ramasamy said if National Security Council (MKN) director-general Rodzi Md Saad could mock the UNHCR’s presence in a statement to the media, then it could be perceived that the government was unhappy with the UN agency’s existence in Malaysia.
On Tuesday, Rodzi suggested shutting down the UNHCR office in Malaysia to allow Putrajaya to manage refugees in the country without “foreign interference”.
However, Ramasamy said there was no government agency currently capable of dealing with the “complicated and multi-dimensional problems” of refugees and asylum seekers than the UNHCR.
P Ramasamy.
The Perai assemblyman said the government or the minister concerned must either admonish Rodzi or accept the fact that UNHCR was not welcome in the country.
In a statement, he reiterated that UNHCR was best suited to manage refugees in the country since Malaysia did not formally recognise the status of refugees and asylum seekers.
“Refugees are simply seen from a legal perspective (by the government), whether they have valid documents of entry or not. If they don’t, in most cases, they can be subject to arrest and deportation.
“However, the presence of the UNHCR makes it difficult for the government to apply the blanket law-and-order perspective,” he said.
PETALING JAYA: Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy has urged Putrajaya to clearly state its position on the presence of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia.
Ramasamy said if National Security Council (MKN) director-general Rodzi Md Saad could mock the UNHCR’s presence in a statement to the media, then it could be perceived that the government was unhappy with the UN agency’s existence in Malaysia.
On Tuesday, Rodzi suggested shutting down the UNHCR office in Malaysia to allow Putrajaya to manage refugees in the country without “foreign interference”.
However, Ramasamy said there was no government agency currently capable of dealing with the “complicated and multi-dimensional problems” of refugees and asylum seekers than the UNHCR.
P Ramasamy.The Perai assemblyman said the government or the minister concerned must either admonish Rodzi or accept the fact that UNHCR was not welcome in the country.
In a statement, he reiterated that UNHCR was best suited to manage refugees in the country since Malaysia did not formally recognise the status of refugees and asylum seekers.
“Refugees are simply seen from a legal perspective (by the government), whether they have valid documents of entry or not. If they don’t, in most cases, they can be subject to arrest and deportation.
“However, the presence of the UNHCR makes it difficult for the government to apply the blanket law-and-order perspective,” he said.
It is not wrong for Malaysia to take up the processing of refugees in the country. However, it has to be done in the context of readiness to do so, with proper processes, and due process in keeping with international standards.
ReplyDeleteIf Malaysia Govenment just wants to take over, to kick out UNHCR and carry out its own heavy handed approach, then that is wrong.
The mass graves at Wang Kelian don't inspire confidence.