We are all born as human beings first

Pictures above of Myanmar refugees in Malaysia, reproduced from http://www.flickr.com/.

I am currently working on an assignment to research on refugees in Malaysia. My preliminary research shows that according to the UNHCR, as of end May 2009, there are some 49,000 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia, 43,500 from Myanmar. In addition, according to UNHCR, and based on lists provided by refugee communities in Malaysia, there are some 45,900 unregistered asylum-seekers in Malaysia.

They runway from their countries to escape religious and political persecution but in Malaysia they face a harsh reality as they cannot be granted refugee status by the Government. Malaysia, like other countries in the region, is not a signatory of the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees 1951. Therefore their children cannot attend schools, they work illegally in underpaid jobs and most have to stay in substandard living conditions, sometimes in makeshift conditions on the fringes of the jungle. Their refugee status is granted by the UNHCR office in Malaysia which provides them with minimal welfare assistance.

"...we are all born as human beings first before the establishment of the concept of territorial integrity. Hence, it should be natural that we should see each other as human beings first rather than aliens" - quote Lim Ka Ea, Human Rights Research Officer from a paper entitled "Refugee Go Home - He would if he could"