KUALA LUMPUR: The government should consider allowing the Rohingya refugees in the country to work in the plantation and services sectors that are currently facing a shortage of workers, said an academic.
Dean of Universiti Utara Malaysia’s College of Law, Government and International Studies Asso Prof Dr Ahmad Martadha Mohamed said the move would enable the authorities to keep tabs on their movements and regulate their numbers.
“The Rohingya refugees possess cards issued by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). Since the UNHCR already has a system in place to register Rohingya refugees, it is easier for the government to monitor the movements of the refugees concerned,” he told Bernama.
According to UNHCR, as of May this year, a total of 151,560 refugees and asylum seekers were registered with the commission in Malaysia.
Refugees from Myanmar made up the majority at 137,261 and they comprised Rohingyas (52,960), Chins (42,973), Myanmar Muslims (11,232), Rakhines and Arakanese (5,762) and other ethnic groups. Read more
