Refugees in Malaysia arrested, abused and denied right to work

We found a report from Amnesty International (dating already from June 2010) on the denial of the right to work experienced by refugees in Malaysia, the vast majority being from Myanmar. The report Abused and Abandoned: Refugees Denied Rights in Malaysia documents the plight of refugees and asylum-seekers who have reached Malaysia, where they are refused legal recognition, protection, or the right to work. This report was part of Amnesty International's Demand Dignity campaign, which aims to end the human rights violations that drive and deepen global poverty. 

"Refugees should be able to live with dignity while they are in Malaysia. The government should move immediately to issue refugees official ID cards and grant them the right to work," said Chris Nash, former Head of Refugee and Migrant Rights at Amnesty International. In February 2010, Malaysian Home Secretary Hishamuddin Hussein proposed the introduction of government ID cards for UN-recognized refugees, and stated that refugees should be able to take on "odd jobs" but not have the full right to work. 

Malaysia (at the time of the report) had not ratified the Refugee Convention, and refugees and asylum seekers were treated as irregular or undocumented workers under Malaysian law. UNHCR was the only authority in the country that recognizes refugees and offers them any assistance. There were 84,200 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia, although the numbers of unregistered people in similar circumstances are estimated to be over twice that. Over 90 per cent of registered refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia are from Myanmar.
In december 2010 a bill allowing refugees to access the labour market was planned. For more information (including on the actors pushing for this right) see :

• Refugees’ right to work in Malaysia…to be discussed in special Cabinet meeting on foreign labour next month, The Sail/ Malaymail, 18/11/2010
• Abused and Abandoned: Refugees Denied Rights in Malaysia, Amnesty International Report, June 2010.