Leviticus 19:33-34 (NIV)
33 “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34
The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.
Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD
your God.
-1Christians -
-1Christians -
Tenaganita executive director Irene Fernandez cited the recent arrest and detention of some 200 migrants at Central Market, Kuala Lumpur on Feb 11, four days before the deadline set.
"The fear and terror is intense in the migrant and refugee community... (the migrants and refugees) do not know the reason for their arrest, there is no transparency in the number arrested, neither do we know where they are being detained," she said.
Fernandez (right)
said the programme is "doomed to fail" as, out of 1.3 million
undocumented workers registered, only about 300,000 have been issued
work permits.As for the remaining one million, they have no work permits or the Immigration Department has denied them work permits, said Fernandez.
"... through a system that facilitates corruption by agents and employers, institutionalised labour trafficking through the practice of outsourcing, and widespread cheating by recruitment agents, (the reality is that) 80 percent of migrants become undocumented in Malaysia," she said.
Also affected by the amnesty programme are asylum seekers and refugees, she said, as the government has yet to ratify the United Nations Refugee Convention, which makes these groups vulnerable to ill-treatment.
"The absence of a legal framework to recognise and protect refugees renders them undocumented.
"Without
any legislation or comprehensive policies to protect the rights of
refugees, genuine asylum seekers who yet to be registered with Unite
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are treated as criminals
who have breached immigration laws.”The 'legalisation' phase of the government’s 6P amnesty programme officially ended on Feb 15.
Home Ministry secretary-general Mahmood Adam had said last week that 94,856 migrants have been deported since the exercise began last June.
Under the 6P programme, foreign workers without proper documentation will either be legalised or deported without punishment.
The six Ps stand for registration, legalisation, amnesty, monitoring, enforcement and deportation.
‘Self-inflicted paralysis’
Fernandez also said the ministry has not being forthcoming about the nationality of those deported or waiting to be deported.
"We've received unconfirmed reports that there may be detainees from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Kashmir (India) currently at the KLIA Depot - are they potential asylum seekers waiting to be deported?" she asked.
Asha Lim, a volunteer with Health Equity Initiatives, raised concerns about the physical and mental health of those being held in over-crowded detention centres.
"We are very concerned about the health dimensions of this exercise ... these people who are just rounded up are not just faceless commodities, they are fathers and income earners," she said.
"They also have health issues, some of them have diseases which need medication.”
Sources have told Tenaganita that a new recruitment exercise is to begin in June, Fernandez said.
She asked why this is necessary when there are migrant workers are registered and waiting to be regularised.
"The home minister seems to be in a state of self-inflicted paralysis when it comes to accountability and addressing the embedded corruption in the migration system.
"The government appears intent on continuing this oppressive and corrupt system that continuously (reaps) profits from the poor and vulnerable.”
Tenaganita, together with several other human rights groups including Suaram, urged the government to enact legislation that allows the recognition of refugee rights.
They also called on a comprehensive policy for recruitment, placement and employment of migrants and refugees.
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