‘Let them apply for legal jobs’

SELAYANG: Rohingya refugees in Malaysia should be given leniency to apply for legal jobs in the country, said pro-Rohingya non-governmental organisation Humanitarian Aid.
Its advisor Rafik Shah Mohd Ismail said many of the refugees left their homeland in Rakhine State, Myanmar, without bringing adequate possessions to survive in their destination countries.
"The Rohingya entered Malaysia without any official travel documentation. They have to do odd jobs for survival, and earn RM1,000 a month if they are lucky," he said.
"The amount is not a luxury. They have commitments to their family, and have to pay rent. How can they survive if they are not given job opportunities?" he told theSun.
Being a non-signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention, Malaysia has no obligation to provide jobs, education and other basic necessities to more than 50,000 documented Rohingya refugees.
However, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed had recently announced that a pilot project is underway to allow UNHCR card holders to work in specific sectors in the country.
Meanwhile, Asia Rohingya Centre executive director Dr Mohd Helmi Ibrahim said opening our borders fully to allow more Rohingya to enter is not the right way out from the crisis.
"We have to allow them in under humanitarian grounds, but it will not solve the matter completely. It will only provide victory to the Myanmar government, which is systematically trying to chase the Rohingya out of the country," he said.
He said the international community must be unified in pressuring Myanmar to recognise the rights of the Rohingya.