Syrian Refugees: Malaysian Government Not Practising Favouritism

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian government is not practising favouritism in bringing in Syrian refugees as compared to those from other countries. Foreign Deputy Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the number of Syrian refugees topped the list as the issues in Syria were most pressing. He said the Syrians were among the 65.3 million refugees worldwide who were forced to leave their countries. "Thus, there is no such thing as 'first class' or 'second class' aid. We give it based on humanity such as once provided to Bosnians and Acheh refugees," he said in reply to a supplementary question from a member of parliament Mohamed Azmin Ali at the Dewan Rakyat (Malaysian Parliament) here Monday. Mohamed Azmin had asked for an explanation on allegations that the Malaysian Government gave preferential treatment to Syrian refugees as compared to those from other countries. However, Reezal Merican said the government had taken the approach to help the refugees without burdening or endangering the country. Replying to Mohamed Azmin's original question on the government's stand on the 1951 Refugee Convention under the United Nations, he said to date, Malaysia was not a state party of the convention and only Cambodia and the Philippines had signed the convention. He urged for a comprehensive study to be conducted before joining any international instrument, including the convention to gauge on its impact and implication to the country. Reezal Merican said the study should comprise aspects such as security threat, increase of social ills as well as financial liability which needed to be shouldered by the government. --BERNAMA