Malaysians turn to our men in blue for protection but for many refugees in Malaysia, the police are to be feared.

Rumours of being apprehended, interrogated and even being extorted have inspired fear among the already vulnerable people who had fled their home countries due to persecution.

 

"When I walk on the street, I do not want to go face-to-face with the police, I will get out of their way.

"They don't care (that) we are refugees, they will ask for money or just take us into jail," said Imam, a 47-year-old refugee from Myanmar.

 

The problem lies with Putrajaya's reluctance to recognise refugees - Malaysia is not a a party to the United Nations’ 1951 Convention and its Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.

 

Imam spoke to  Malaysiakini  last week in conjunction with the World Refugee week when the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) organised a pictorial exhibition to highlight their plight.

 

Her real name and photograph, as well as other refugees in this story, have being withheld on request, as they fear for their safety.

 

Imam, who arrived in Malaysia in 2010, said it took her two years to obtain a UN card issued by the UNHCR.

 

In that time, Imam lived in constant fear of being arrested and even with the card, which now allows her to identify herself as a refugee, she is not completely safe as Malaysia does not officially recognise refugees.

 

Echoing this problem, Meita, an art teacher for a refugee school, lamented the lack of recognition of refugees in Malaysia, resulting in financial struggles for her family.

 

"I love Malaysia, but it's hard for us because we cannot have a proper job. My husband is not satisfied with his underpaid job, he cannot change it because there is no access to opportunity due to legal constraints," said the 36-year-old who fled from Iran.

 

Even going to work is a challenge for Meita's family.

"Every day I am in constant worry waiting for my husband to come home. If he is late, I can't help fearing that the police have caught him," she said.

 

What meagre income Meita's family earns goes to their son, who as a refugee, does not get access to proper education.

 

"My son studies in a refugee centre, and it is not recognised by the government," she said.

 

Despite the difficult conditions, Meita's family puts up with it as persecution in her home country is a much worse prospect.

Healthcare woes

These are not the only problems refugees face in their everyday life as basic healthcare too is a challenge as Zahra, a refugee from Pakistan would testify.

 

"When my family came to Malaysia from Pakistan, my younger brother became very sick, he had serious diarrhea and bacterial infection. 

 

"When we went to hospital, they did not accept him because we did not have the UN card yet," said the 29-year-old Pakistani woman who fled her country some three and a half years ago.

 

"With the UN documentation, we will get 50 percent discount on medical fees, but without it, we can't afford to go to hospital," she added.

 

As of May 2014, there are some 145,000 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR scattered throughout Malaysia. 

 

134,430 are from Myanmar while the rest include 4,280 Sri Lankans, 1,110 Somalis, 920 Syrians, 780 Iraqis, 320 Afghans, and many more from other countries. 

 

Of these, some 30,560 are children under the age of 18.

 

Earlier this month, the US State Department downgraded Malaysia from Tier 2 to Tier 3 in its annual human trafficking report, making the country among the worst human trafficking offenders.

 

"Refugees in Malaysia lack formal status or the ability to obtain work permits under Malaysian law, making them vulnerable to trafficking.

 

"Many incur large smuggling debts; traffickers use these debts to subject some refugees to debt bondage," the report said.