No arbitrary UNHCR cards for Rohingya, says DPM

BAGAN DATUK: Malaysia will not arbitrarily issue United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards to Rohingya who seek refuge in the country, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said this was to avoid the country being overburdened with a flood of Rohingya fleeing ethnic clashes in Myanmar.

The decision to deny the arbitrary granting of the refugee card has the cooperation of the UNHCR, he told reporters after handing over sacrificial cows for Aidiladha at his parliamentary constituency of Bagan Datuk yesterday.

“Our priority is our people and their welfare. It is not that we are not being humanitarian. I think the international community should show concern for the plight of the Rohingya,” he said. Dr Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, asked Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to restore the image of her country, which has been tarnished by the clashes in Rakhine, a state in Myanmar.

He said the international community has repeatedly asked Yangon to resolve the humanitarian issue but this has not been done.

“I hope serious attention will be given to this matter.

“There should be no double standards because of religious differences.

“Do not make this humanitarian issue a religious and political issue,” he said.

He also said that the matter should be settled because Malaysia does not want to face an influx of Rohingya whenever they have problems in Myanmar.