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KUALA LUMPUR: For Kap Ling Sang, a refugee from Myanmar living in Malaysia, the news that the army in his home country had seized power in a coup on February 1 raised concerns and concerns about members of his own family that are still there. and your own future.
As for his family members, internet blackouts in Myanmar are hampering communication, which means the 42-year-old cannot stay in constant contact.
“I still have my parents and my grandmother in Myanmar. When I can get in touch with them, my first question is always, are they safe? “he told CNA.
“Whenever I lose contact with my family, I worry whether they have been detained or not. I have lost the peace in my heart, “he added. Answered CNA’s questions via WhatsApp with the help of Google Translate.
Mr. Kap, his wife and children are members of the Chin ethnic group. They fled to Malaysia from Chin State in northwestern Myanmar in 2010 due to conflict between the military (widely known as Tatmadaw) and Chin fighters.
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Although Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention and does not formally recognize refugees, Kap said it is still better to live in Malaysia than under military power.
A protester participates in a protest against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, on February 17, 2021. REUTERS / Stringer
When he first learned of the coup on February 1, Kap said he felt all hope for his parents and his future had been lost.
“I lost my appetite for the first four days of the month because I was feeling very sad and my wife was sad too,” he said.
These days, he and other refugees from Myanmar are keeping up with the news about the military coup through Facebook live broadcasts or international news agencies. And the fluid situation, with the authorities’ attempts to end street protests against the coup, not only raises concerns about his family members still in Myanmar, but also raises questions about their own future.
For some of them, one of the main concerns is that the coup could derail the process of permanent resettlement in a new country. Others, meanwhile, said the coup has made the dream of returning to a peaceful homeland even more distant.
James Bawi Thang Bik of Independent Chin Communities, a coalition of Chin refugee organizations in Malaysia, told CNA that many people from ethnic minorities became refugees as a result of human rights violations and a lack of reconciliation efforts under the military regime. .
“Now that (the military) are back in power, do you think these refugees will be willing to come back under this administration?” he said.
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“I FEEL TOTALLY LOST AND DESPERATE”
James La Seng Tsumkha, a Kachin refugee who arrived in Malaysia six years ago, recalled that his wife woke him up in the early morning of February 1 and told him that the military had seized power from the National League for Democracy.
“I didn’t believe it at first, as we often hear a lot of news, which usually comes from unreliable sources. But around 8am, after reading the BBC, RFA, VOA and Facebook, only I believed it to be true. I felt totally lost and hopeless, “he said.
“My friends at home said that no one dared to go out that morning of February 1. There were trucks full of soldiers posted everywhere,” said Tsumkha, who still has family in Kachin state.
Independent Chin Communities, the coordinating organization for Chin refugees in Malaysia, holds a general meeting. (Photo: Independent Chin Communities)
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), of some 178,610 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UN agency in Malaysia, some 154,030 were from Myanmar.
They included 102,250 Rohingya and 22,410 Chin, while another 29,360 belong to other ethnic groups affected by conflict or fleeing persecution in Myanmar.
The lack of legal protection in Malaysia leaves refugees vulnerable to arrest by the authorities, along with limited access to resources such as employment, health care and education.
To shelter, Kap said that he and his friends rent an apartment and that each family stays in one room. They do odd jobs to support themselves.
However, things took a turn for the worse when Malaysia was placed under the motion control order (MCO) last year to reduce the rate of COVID-19 infections.
“It was difficult to find work, we could only work two days a week, so it was very difficult to earn a living. We choose the cheapest food to save money, ”says Kap.
Both Mr. Kap and Mr. Tsumkha said that they are holders of UNHCR documents.
FEARS OF DEPORTATION
Asylum seekers’ fears of deportation to Myanmar have been compounded by the recent military coup.
“The military is very smart, so I am concerned that they will do something that will seriously affect us,” Kap said.
Last week, Malaysia confirmed that 1,200 Myanmar citizens would be sent back to their country. Myanmar’s military has offered to send three Navy ships to pick up detained citizens from Malaysian immigration detention centers, according to Reuters.
While Malaysian authorities have stated that the deportees had committed immigration offenses and that no refugees were included in the deportation, the country has been urged to suspend the repatriation plan in light of the situation in Myanmar. Malaysia’s human rights lawyers organization Lawyers for Liberty, UNHCR and Amnesty International are among those calling for the deportation to be stopped.
In a statement on February 15, the Director General of the Immigration Department, Khairul Dzaimee Daud, stated that the deportation only involved Myanmar citizens detained in immigration warehouses for various crimes under the Malaysian Immigration Act and regulations, such as not possessing any identification document, staying longer and visa abuse.
“The department wishes to clarify that no UNHCR cardholders or Rohingya participated in this repatriation program,” said Khairul Dzaimee.
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Still, refugees like Kap are concerned. “If the refugees were repatriated, any hope of resettlement in a third country would be shattered,” he said.
DREAM OF RETURNING HOME DASH
Mr. Bawi from the Independent Chin Communities said that prior to the February 1 coup, some minority refugees had considered returning to Myanmar, as the situation there seemed to stabilize.
“Some refugees considered returning, especially when their state or region saw some peace, but many did not trust Myanmar’s policy, so most waited,” he said.
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Tsumkha, for example, had always thought that one day Myanmar would be peaceful enough for him to return.
“Even though I fled to Malaysia, I always want to go home. There is no place like home. Nobody wants to leave their own home unless they are forced to, ”he said.
“I feel dejected by the Kachins and other ethnic groups who reside here in Malaysia. Not only will we not be able to return home, we also do not know when we will be able to resettle in safe countries,” he said.
Many children, he said, were born here and their future looks bleak.
A scene at KRLC, a preschool for Kachin children whose families have sought refuge in Malaysia. With limited access to public education, refugee communities often come up with their own educational solutions. (Photo: James La Seng Tsumkha)
Similarly, Mr. Kap hoped to return despite the Tatmadaw’s involvement in national politics.
“Previously, he had thought about returning to Myanmar despite the army taking 25 percent of the seats in parliament, because he was confident that Aung San Suu Kyi was still better than them.
“But the military coup happened, I am afraid to return. Instead, I have put my hope in resettling, “he said.
