After holding talks on human trafficking and the plight of Rohingya Muslims who travel from persecution in Myanmar in small boats and other unstable watercraft. Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to give temporary refuge to refugees from that area and said they welcome help from other nations in this aid effort. As of this writing, there are more than 7,000 stranded migrants waiting on boats in the Andaman Sea in this huge Southeast Asia humanitarian crisis.
The Foreign Minister of Malaysia, Anifah Aman announced the agreement to give temporary refuge to Rohingya Muslims on the provision that it was to be temporary refugee shelter until a resettlement and repatriation process could be undertaken within the next year, via international community means.
Refuge to Refugees Policy Developed to Help Rohingya Muslims
The governments of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia met in Kuala Lumpur to put together a migrant policy to handle the crisis of the travel of the fleeing Rohingya Muslims. Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah and the Indonesian and Thai equivalents, Retno Marsudi and General Tanasak Patimapragorn came together to discuss the crisis.
They agreed on this new policy to provide refuge to refugees and to stop towing away the boats carrying the migrants who were trying to enter Malaysian waters. They countries’ leaders said that the community of the world needs to help in this tremendous financial burden to provide the needed aid and support for these migrants flowing onto their shores through travel across the sea.
Over the past many weeks, thousands of refugees crowded onto ships have been arriving on the shores of both countries. They are thought to be migrants from Bangladesh and Rohingya Muslims who are trying to escape oppression in Myanmar, previously known as Burma.
Refugees Travel in Small Boats, Abandoned by Human Traffickers
In the past few weeks, thousands of Bangladeshis and Rohingya came from Myanmar, comprising largely of women and children, and made illegal landfall after travel in small boats looking for refuge to refugees. Many have been abandoned by human traffickers after paying large sums of money to make the trip. This year, it was reported is the highest numbers of migrants that have ever tried to make the dangerous crossing of the ocean to reach freedom from persecution.
Myanmar discriminates against these Rohingya Muslims and refuses them rights of citizenship, as well as killing and persecuting them. Each year, thousands flee to other countries to try to win their freedom and receive refuge to refugees from other Southeast Asian countries, as well as other nearby countries.
