Malaysia DPM: 300 Rohingya refugees allowed to work legally in March
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| Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said those whose refugee status as validated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will be taken on to work in agriculture and manufacturing here before they are relocated abroad. — AFP pic |
By Yiswaree Palansamy
February 2, 2017
PUTRAJAYA — Putrajaya’s pioneer project to provide legal employment for the Rohingya refugees here will start on March 1 with 300 workers, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced today.
Ahmad Zahid who is also home minister said those whose refugee status as validated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will be taken on to work in agriculture and manufacturing here before they are relocated abroad.
“They would be placed in selected companies under the agriculture and manufacturing sectors, aimed at providing them with skills and financial support to enable them to build their lives before being relocated to third world nations,” he said in a statement.
Ahmad Zahid also said that the 300 Rohingyas selected would also have to pass security and health screenings before being employed.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed announced last month that the federal government would allow Rohingyas — who are mostly Muslims said to be fleeing persecution in Myanmar — to work legally in Malaysia.
Nur Jazlan also said the programme will not affect Putrajaya’s other policies on migrant workers.
Undocumented refugees, including the Rohingya, have previously claimed they were being exploited as they are not allowed to work legally here.
