Malaysia under fire at UN over refugees

Agence France-Presse - 2/11/2009 5:49 PM GMT

Malaysia under fire at UN over refugees

Malaysia was taken to task by some Western countries on Wednesday over its treatment of asylum seekers and refugees, during a United Nations review of its human rights record.

Belgium, Britain and the Netherlands were among the nations that expressed "concerns" surrounding refugees and asylum-seekers held in detention in Malaysia, as they called on Kuala Lumpur to develop legislation that distinguishes asylum seekers from irregular migrants.

"We note serious problems faced by refugees, migrants and asylum seekers in Malaysia... that is linked to a lack of clarity on their status in the country," Belgium's representative told the UN Human Rights Council during a universal periodic review session.

Under universal periodic review, all 192 member states of the United Nations have their human rights record vetted by the council once every four years.

The session is based on three reports, one submitted by the country under review, and two summaries compiled by the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.

The high commissioner's report noted the lack of national legislation on refugees as well as absence of laws on the rights of migrant workers.

In addition, it said, "many asylum seeking and refugee children, among them Muslim children from a nearby country, including the Rohingya refugee children who had lived in Malaysia since 1990s, lacked access to formal education."

The secretary general of Malaysia's foreign ministry Rastam Mohd Isa said in his opening remarks that Malaysia prosecutes only refugees who have committed crimes.

Foreign workers are accorded the same rights as local workers, and the rights of illegal immigrants are protected, he added.

Human rights groups have accused Malaysia of mistreating millions of foreign workers who live there, as well as asylum-seekers, including thousands from nearby Myanmar, which is under military rule.

Human Rights Watch had singled out a government-backed volunteer force in Malaysia known as RELA for allegedly beating, threatening and extorting money from migrants and asylum-seekers.

During Wednesday's session, some countries, including Chile and France, encouraged Malaysia to eliminate discrimination due to sexual orientation and to "respect the human rights of all individuals, including homosexuals."

http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2463537