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Refugees living in Peninsula Malaysia are ethnically, linguistically, religiously, and socioeconomically diverse. There are over 180,000 refugees in Malaysia, including Rohingya, Chins, Kachins, and other ethnic groups from Myanmar; Pakistanis, Afghans, and Sri Lankans from South Asia; Syrians, Iraqis, Yemenis, Saudi Arabians, and Palestinians from West Asia; and Somalians from the Horn of Africa. They seek refuge for different reasons, including the fear of persecution, war, or extreme socio-economic harm.
But regardless of origin or identity, when seeking sanctuary in Malaysia, they all encounter the same problem—in particular, a lack of legal protection. Malaysia has no laws related to the category of “refugees”, resulting in authorities treating refugees as illegal immigrants. Even though the government allows the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to operate, the intergovernmental organisation’s work is limited as there is no formal asylum system in place in the country. For example, while the UNHCR issues refugee cards to those it determines to be in need of international protection, these cards do not grant its holders the right to abode, work, or access basic healthcare and schooling. In practice, refugees live in precarity, constantly vulnerable to arbitrary abuse, arrest, and detention by immigration authorities.