Burmese Chin refugees get reprieve
Immigration authorities have put on hold the deportation of two Burmese Chin refugees who were sent to a camp for illegal immigrants last week pending investigations into their status.
The Protection Officer at the Kuala Lumpur office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Kubo Shinji, said he has informed immigration authorities of the two womens refugee status after being informed of their fate.
The director (of the immigration department) is discussing what to do based on the information provided by the UNHCR. They will inform us in two days, said Shinji today when contacted.
In the meantime, they are not supposed to be deported, he added, as the two Burmese Chin women have been recognised as mandate refugees who have reasons to fear conditions back home.
The two were arrested by police two weeks ago for not holding valid visas issued by the Malaysian government. Both were detained for several days before being sent to the Langkap camp in Perak.
The stay on their deportation order has been confirmed by Langkap detention camp immigration officials who said a directive has been received from their headquarters stating that the duo are not to be deported.
However, Langkap camp police chief Abdul Samad said camp authorities have also received a telephone call from Burmese embassy officials in Kuala Lumpur who said that the two were illegal immigrants.
A Burmese activist informed malaysiakini last Friday that the two women were slated for deportation by the middle of this week.
No obligation
According to Shinji, refugee status letters issued by the UNHCR are not accepted by the Malaysian government.
What (the government) said is that it has the option but not an obligation to respect the UNHCR refugee status 100 percent, he said, adding that Malaysia also has no administrative or legislative procedures to deal with UNHCR cases.
Shinji said the refugee agency is always in touch with police to continue to negotiate for the non-arrest of foreigners in possession of refugee papers.
He said under the 1951 Refugee Convention, refugees are those who have reasons to fear persecution in their home country based on their political beliefs, religion, ethnic origins, nationality or social group.
The Chins are a predominantly Christian minority group in Burma. Many fled their country alleging ethnic and religious persecution by the ruling Burmese military junta. They also claim they have been denied their citizenship rights.
About 10,000 Chins are estimated to be staying illegally in Malaysia.
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