World Refugee Day

A call for protection

 

_ ByVictor Khen Sang

June 20, 2007 is World Refugee Day (WRD), a day when UN refugee agency tries to focus worldwide attention on the plight of millions of refugees and displaced persons around the world. Even as we live into new millennium with high technology and a better environment than the time UNHCR was founded in 1951, there are still millions of people uprooted by violence and persecution. The ignorance of humanity still leaves millions to lose their lives in our world today. Finding solution behind the motive of growing numbers of refugees around the world today should be brought to attention to detail among ruling governments worldwide. The negligence of humanitarian assistance for human beings is a symbol of uncivilized lifestyle.

Some countries still categorized our human fellows who are in trouble finding humanely protection as “ illegal immigrants” in the second nations while they are in search of safe refuge. No mother is illegal and no child ever born illegal by a mother but we are all born children of our mothers. The civilized world today shouldn’t outcast refugees from society by putting divisions as illegal persons which actually is a matter of bureaucratic documentation. Crossing international borders without a government's legal document does not necessarily means illegal person. Looking into the original country from where a refugee is fleeing would better reflect who is a legal person between rulers and the ruled or persecuted. There are countries where illegal governments are ruling without a single consent vote from a civilian to be his/her government. This is not legal ruler but ruthless ruler.

In case of refugees from Myanmar, the government of Malaysia is vitally important for their security and survival in Malaysia. The world knows that Malaysian government is now pushing Myanmar's illegitimate military government for democratic change and call for civilian freedom. There are sincere appeals to government of Malaysia and all Malaysians to kindly tolerate towards refugees and open up space for protection of their insecure security and to abstain from heavy-handedly sweeping them into detention and dumping at the borders as if social evil-doers. No refugee consumes free the wealth of Malaysia but contributes to the developing economy of today's Malaysia. Even if Malaysia is not UN refugee convention signatory, its membership to World Human Rights Commission binds Malaysia to some extent to exercise humanitarian support to refugees and asylum seekers. Instead of casting out refugees as illegal immigrants which displayed them in public as if violators of law, the government of Malaysia should better use the word refugee to reflect as a civilized country with multi cultural society to show the presence of refugees in the country to the world. Refugee presence in the country should not be hidden; but show them out and write them out as they are so that friends of the world can reach them. No nation can stand alone on earth.

As a member of UN Women & Children Rights Convention, we hope, Malaysia will release refugee children and women from several immigration detention centres in honour of 2007 World Refugee Day.