PUTRAJAYA JUNE 9: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will discuss with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on how to manage 269 Rohingya refugees that had illegally entered the Langkawi waters on June 8.
Security and Senior Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, many third countries alleged Malaysia as inhumane for not allowing the Rohingya refugees to enter Malaysian waters.
“The third countries that have signed the 1951 Refugee Convention should accept the Rohingya refugees.Why leave the Rohingyas’ problem only to Malaysia,”? Ismail asked those concerned at the media conference held here today.
According to Ismail, the modus operandi of the Rohingyas before they entered the Malaysian waters was they drilled holes in the vessel and damaged the engine.
“Fifty-three people jumped from the vessel and we had not much choice, it was either to let them die or help them. We cannot just watch women and children die in front of our eyes.
“The Foreign Ministry will discuss with the Bangladesh government regarding the Rohingyas that had fled from Cox’s Bazar. If not back to Cox’s Bazar, they will be sent to Bhasan Char, a new place for refugees in Bangladesh.
“We will not allow the Rohingyas to enter or remain in Malaysia but will send them back,” Ismail said when asked to comment on 269 Rohingya refugees that were detained off the waters of Langkawi after entering Malaysia.
Meanwhile the National Task Force in its statement yesterday said the 269 refugees or illegal immigrants are now placed temporarily in Kem Bina Negara, Wawasan Langkawi.
Ismail also mentioned that 56 army personnel and doctors that had been assigned to work at the Malaysian Armed Forces Field Hospital in Cox’s Bazar had returned home following the closure of the hospital after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. –Malaysia World News
