Welcome to the June Q2 2023 newsletter from the Asia Displacement Solutions Platform. These newsletters are intended to shine a spotlight on some of the issues being tackled by our members, and the programmatic work done to improve outcomes for persons affected by displacement. We hope you find this newsletter informative. For any questions please don’t…
TODAY is World Refugee Day. This year’s theme, “Hope Away From Home”, resonates deeply with the millions of refugees and displaced persons worldwide, including those in Malaysia, whose hopes and ambitions are often amplified through initiatives and support from within their own communities, including refugee-led organisations (RLOs). The Asia Displacement Solutions Platform’s (ADSP) SHARP-Asia project…
Over 1.6 million Rohingya remain in situations of protracted displacement in Bangladesh and the wider Asia region, including in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Major host countries of Rohingya refugees have resisted accession to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Concerned about ‘pull factors’ bringing more Rohingya and other refugees to their territories, and…
14 June 2023 – DHAKA, Bangladesh: Almost six years after the mass displacement of Rohingya from Myanmar to Bangladesh, a comprehensive regional response is long overdue. There are 1.6 million Rohingya who have sought safety across Asia, but they live in precarious conditions, without legal status, with limited access to services, and with little hope…
With long-term solutions likely to remain elusive, it’s time to make serious efforts toward improving Rohingya lives in the short term. For around 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in Bangladesh, sustainable solutions such as safe and voluntary return to their homeland, large-scale resettlement in third countries, or local integration in Bangladesh will remain…
It is with great pride that I present to you our 2022 Year in Review, a year that has been one of the most productive in our short history. Over the past 12 months, we have made significant strides in our efforts to contribute a distinctive, field-led, perspective to policy and advocacy processes which can…
25 May 2023 – DHAKA, Bangladesh: The arbitrary and indefinite immigration detention of Rohingya is harmful to refugees and their families. As Rohingya flee ongoing persecution in Myanmar and deteriorating security conditions in camps in Bangladesh, punitive immigration detention has not and will not deter them from coming to Malaysia for safety. Immigration detention is expensive,…
25 May 2023 – Dhaka, Bangladesh: Unable to be formally employed in Malaysia due to lack of legal recognition, Rohingya are relegated to living on the margins of society and finding work in the informal economy. This places many Rohingya in situations of financial precarity and at risk of labour exploitation. In a recent joint…
In 2017, a violent security crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State triggered the largest exodus of Rohingya in recent history. At the time, the Malaysian government took a vocal stance against the persecution of the Rohingya, positioning themselves as supportive and sympathetic to their plight. However, as growing numbers of Rohingya have sought irregular means of…
As of November 2022, Malaysia hosted 182,990 refugees and asylum seekers, 106,120 of whom were Rohingya. However, Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol and does not have a legislative framework for refugee protection. Notwithstanding barriers to legal employment, a UNHCR study found…