A migrant workers activist had questioned a report by Penang police chief Abdul Rahim Hanafi that murders involving Myanmar nationals were not related to religious and ethnic strife in the country.

Abdul Rahim was reported to have said this in a Malay Mail Online report headlined ‘In Penang, 17 murders in 10 months with victims’ throats slit’ published today.

The 17th case happened over the weekend in Nibong Tebal, Penang, when police found the “decomposed remains of a man believed to be a foreigner at a nursery near a housing project in Tiga Kongsi, Simpang Ampat on Saturday night,” the Malay Mail Online reported.

The report also stated that the victim’s “nationality is not known as there were no documents on him - just as in the case of the 16 murdered Myanmar nationals who were mostly factory workers”.

Activist Stanley Sudhagaran (left) asked how many out of those 17 murder cases were solved and how many have been prosecuted for the crimes.

“If the victims, like the 16 earlier cases, have no documents on them, how can we assume they are Myanmar nationals,” asked Stanley, who runs a school, Life Bridge Learning Centre, for 70 Rohingya refugee children in Butterworth.

“If no one was charged with the crime, how can we merely base on assumptions and say that the murders involved Myanmar nationals,” Stanley told Malaysiakini.

Stanley said such assumptions may be misleading and might give the impression that Myanmar refugees or nationals are “dangerous”.

He added that the people might fear the community and blame them for all crimes, although a huge percentage of crimes in the country are committed by Malaysians.

“There are many kind and good Myanmar people out there. The statistics and reports are not a representation of the whole community,” said Stanley, who is also chairperson of the Episcopal Commission for Migrants and Itinerants in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

“Malaysians are also involved in crime. The latest statistics on crime committed by migrants in Malaysia is less than four percent and this percentage includes migrant workers, tourists, foreign students and refugees,” he added.

“Myanmar nationals are only a tiny portion of that. This also means that 95 percent of the crimes are committed by our own Malaysians,” he stressed.

Conflict over personal issues and drunkenness

Stanley said many cases, including death, occurred due to conflict over personal issues, like relationship problems and drunkenness due to easy purchase of cheap liquor.

To help resolve the problem, Stanley said, the government should recognise the refugee status of the Rohingya, who escaped from Myanmar and are awaiting asylum in Malaysia before they are resettled in a third country.

“Please allow their children to go to normal Malaysian schools and most importantly, allow the adults to work. This will help solve the issue. Now, refugees live in a dilemma in Malaysia, suffering from mental stress,” he said.

“Without work, the family lives in poverty and face police action. Imagine the stress they go through every day and this may result in some being involved in criminal activities,” he added.

“But not all of them are involved in crime, the majority of them are fantastic and great people,” added Stanley, who formerly served at the Penang Office of Human Development under the Penang Catholic Church.