The Current Situation and Hope of the Chin Refugees in Malaysia
By Salai Socrates
2-Oct-2008
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Mobile registration for Asylum Seekers from Myanmar
The UNHCR office in Malaysia has been using an effective unique technique called mobile registration to register new asylum seekers from Myanmar. No new registration for Myanmar nationalities is accepted in the UNCHR office except for the vulnerable patients and individuals. The UNHCR registration team has been going to their selected areas in different parts of Malaysia and having group registration since May, 2008. For this mobile registration, the office is closely co-operated with the community office of each ethnic nationals from Myanmar. Other ethnic people from Myanmar have been registered, too. The most number who were registered in this mobile registration will be the Arakanese which will be about double size of the Chins. The Mon ethnic people would be the second most number of those who registered in mobile registration. The number of Chin registered in this mobile registration remained in the least.The Kachins and Karen also occupied about quite numbers of new registered refugees within this mobile registration.For this mobile registration the people had to give their names to their concerned communities describing their address and a few points of their personal details. These name lists were collected in early 2008. Nowadays, the mobile registration has been going according to the lists that they have previously given to the office.
One of a Chin Christian elder said, “Most of our fellowship members have given their name lists the same with their villagers. Here in Malaysia, we the Chins have village-houses; those houses are located in Kuala Lumpur. Those who stay in other States in Malaysia also had described their village house as their address because they knew that their jobs are not secure. They can be fired out any time. Now, mobile registration is being done in the places which are far from KL. So, most of the Chins are still waiting for that opportunity.” Village-houses is where Chin people show their Christian brotherly love to one another and help somebody who does not have job or unfeeling well. Generaly, those villages-houses are made up of 30-50 people at a flat. There they cook andeat together and have worship service accordingly.
Family or dependent registration
There are also thousands of refugees who need to register their beloved family members. Here a Chin refugee said, “I was registered as refugees in 2003, but my wife and children arrived Malaysia later, I have been waiting to get my family registered, too."He continued,It is not easy to get them registered as refugees because I have to get serial from CRC [Chin Refugee Committee] or ACR [Alliances of Chin Refugees]. Of course, I have got the serial number. But it is over 1000 already. I heard that only around 100 families can register in a month. I have been waiting my time with prayer. Yet, I don’t know when. I hope my family will also get registered.” An old woman from Thantlang who is about 60 years old also have been going to the UNHCR office asking for registration so that she will join her beloved daughter in USA. But she is still hoping for her fortunate time to get registered. Here is another kind of family reunification problem, “I was registered in 2005, and my wife and children also were registered. We are supposed to take OPE interview. But my wife’s brother is not registered yet. So, we are asked to wait him till he will be registered and recognized as a refugee. I don’t know how long will we still be waiting” Oversea Processing Entities interview is under the care of IRC and is the last interview before US immigration interview.
Waiting for the bright morning
“I have been waiting for the bright morning when I will pack my luggage, say bye bye to my colleagues and depart to the third country. Since 2006, I have been holding UNHCR card and still waiting for the further contact from the office.” said a middle Chin refugee in Malaysia. Some, almost 50% of the registered refugees have been eagerly waiting for their time to be resettled into the third countries. The Chin refugees have been living under fear of the arrests and deportation. They have been living in a very difficult life. Many families with young babies, old woman, ladies and minor children have been staying in this situation.
Still many Chins unregistered
Many Chins asylum seeker who are waiting to be able to register with UNHCR have been facing varieties of problems in Malaysia. Here is an example from a Chin young man, “I fled from MyanmarCameronHighland. I can not get job now as the jobs are very rare. I am still unregistered and holding CRC paper. I really want to be registered.” This kind of experience is not strength for the Chin refugees in Malaysia. There are still many Chin individuals like him. in 2004, I often went to UNHCR and lined up in order to get registration. But, I never got registered as there were too many people lining in front of the office. I had to work at least for my survival. So I was not always able to line up. Months and years passed like that. Till today I have been waiting my time." This man was indeed extradited from the incarceration axis about two times and perforated again.
There were about a couple dozens of Chin young people and university students who left the country after the bloody crackdown of the saffron revolution in which they protested against the military juntas and demanded for freedom and democracy. One of the students said, “I could show the evidences about my involvement in the protest, but I am still waiting for my time to get register till today.”
According to the UNHCR’s statistic record, ‘till the end of July 2008, there are 41,400 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia. Among them 36500 are from Myanmar, comprising some 13400 Rohingyas from Northern part of Rakhine State in Myanmar, about 13400 thousand Chins, 4000 Myanmar Muslims, the remaining are other ethnic minorities from Myanmar’ such as Arakanese, Karen, Karenni, Mon, Shan and Kachin. There are some 49000 refugees and asylum-seekers from other countries, including some 1900 Sri Lankans, 580 Somalis and 570 Iraqis. For these foreigners, the UNHCR office in Malaysia has open the opportunity to get registration according to their rules and limitations. They have been welcome every Monday afternoon.
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