The World Refugee Day has come and gone twice since the government announced temporary protection for Rohingya refugees but nothing has transpired to date, said the Labour Resource Centre (LRC).

In April 2005, then Home Minister Azmi Khalid said the estimated 10,000 Rohingyas in Malaysia would be absorbed into the work force while their children will be given education.

"It has been more than a year since the Malaysian government committed to end the suffering of the Rohingyas. We are of the view that the efforts have failed to materialise to the expected results," said LRC coordinator K Shan in a statement today.

Shan said if Azmi's announcement was implemented, the move would have resolved the labour shortage in Malaysia and addressed the perilous living conditions suffered by the Rohingyas.

The Rohingyas are a primarily Muslim ethnic group who became de-recognised and stateless after the Burmese military Junta took over the country.

Exposed to abuses

Many of them work illegally because they have yet to be accorded refugee status.

Expressing concern, Shan said: "It is feared that the situation might cause a serious impact to their labour rights and translate to slavery-like employment."

The lack of protection and recognition have also led to many Rohingyas falling prey to corrupt authorities while their children are exposed to street begging syndicates, he added.

"We therefore urge the Malaysian government to abide by the principle of burden sharing and multi-party arrangement and practice transparency in implementing its earlier commitment," he said.

He said the government must engage the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) and other human rights organisations to address the needs, welfare and rights of the Rohingyas in Malaysia.

"Malaysia now has even greater need to show clear and concrete efforts to the refugee situation since its now a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council," he added