Pekan’s Cambodian villages not new
The presence of Cambodian immigrants in several settlements here has been raised at district action committee meetings, but little has been done to address the matter.
A source who used to attend the meetings said despite the meetings, little had been done to address the plight of the immigrants, adding that even the individuals who raised the matter got tired of speaking about it.
“It could have been business as usual if not for the recent murder raising some concern.
“People have begun digging into the matter of Cambodians living in Pekan. Let’s see what happens next,” he said yesterday.
Bebar assemblyman Datuk Mohammad Fakhruddin Mohd Ariff said the elderly immigrants (first generation) with red identity cards were those who fled Cambodia in the 1970s during the conflict and settled in Pahang.
Fakhruddin, who is state science, green technology, communications and multimedia committee chairman, said those categorised as “undocumented” could be immigrants who arrived much later and chose to live here to secure permanent resident status.
The murder of Siti Masitah Ibrahim, 11, whose decomposed body was found near bushes in Tanjung Medang Kemahang here on Feb 9, took place in Fakhruddin’s constituency.
Villages occupied by Cambodian immigrants were scattered in Pekan, mostly along Sungai Pahang. They are known as “perkampungan Kemboja” (Cambodian villages) among locals.
It is learnt that the Cambodian community has close ties, placing importance on family and privacy, and prefers to avoid trouble.
While the men mostly work as farmers and fishermen, the women are mostly housewives who manage caged fish farms along Sungai Pahang.
Another source said some villagers were descendants of those from Champa, Cambodia, adding that there used to be a small population of refugees.
“Over the years, the population grew. Once a family has settled down, they will invite their relatives from Cambodia to join them. The population gradually grows when their families who arrive here have children.
“The Immigration Department has conducted raids on the settlements, but just like in Cameron Highlands, illegals go missing during the raid and return after the officers leave.
“Many hope to stay in Malaysia as permanent residents, not knowing that it is not an easy process.”
He urged the government and authorities to come up with longterm plans as many immigrants from Cambodia have been living here for 30 to 40 years, with some never having returned to their country.
“We need a practical solution as deporting them could lead to other issues. The community is quite established, and their children were born here with birth certificates. Some even marry locals and have documentation, such as MyKad,” he said.
State Immigration chief Muhammad Hatta Kassim declined to comment, saying only that the murder of Siti Masitah was being investigated.
Siti Masitah’s parents, Ibrahim Ali, 39, and Solihah Abdullah, 35, and the 23-year-old suspect who has been remanded, do not have identification documents or permanent resident cards.