PETALING JAYA, June 7 — The plight of Rohingya migrants is well known but Malaysia hosts more than 150,000 migrants who come from as far as Somalia and Iran besides ethnic groups from Myanmar.
There are also Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Somalis, Syrians, Iraqis, Iranians and Palestinians here.
Malay Mail had an opportunity to meet some of the migrants at the Art for Grabs event at Jaya One held in conjunction with World Refugee Day.
Ben Ting, 32, an ethnic Rvwang from Kachin state, arrived here with a group four years ago after leaving his family in Myanmar.
“My life was in danger. The ethnic Bamar peole who form the majority kept coming to my village and taking away young men for forced labour and none ever came back,” he said.
“I took the land route through Thailand and spent many nights walking through the jungle until I reached Malaysia.”
Ben hand-makes traditional clothing and accessories which are sold through a church that supports him and others from his community.
Sa Nine, a 17-year-old ethnic Karen from Mon state, was forced from her family’s farm at gunpoint by Bamar militiamen.
“My father said it wasn’t safe for us to stay. So we came to Malaysia through Thailand with the help of an agent who we paid to guide us across the border,” she said.
Asked if she would return to Myanmar, she said: “Some states have been declared safe but they really are not. So, we will continue to appeal for resettlement elsewhere.
“Malaysia is a nice country but it is not my home. I’m just a guest here.”
As of May, there are 152,830 registered migrants registered with UNHCR in Malaysia comprising 49,600 Chins, 45,910 Rohingya, 12,320 Myanmar Muslims, and 7,280 Rakhines and Arakanese from Myanmar.
There are also 3,890 Sri Lankans, 1,210 Pakistanis, 1,090 Somalis, 950 Syrians, 830 Iraqis, 540 Iranians and 430 Palestinians here.
