Moving Onward: Transnationalism and Factors Influencing Rohingyas’ Migration From Bangladesh to Malaysia

Abstract

Continuous human rights persecutions have forced nearly one million Rohingyas to flee from Myanmar and seek refuge in Bangladesh. While their forced migration to the first asylum country of Bangladesh is inevitable, some have been compelled to move onward to other transit countries. Existing studies indicate various factors influencing cross-border activities among different segments of immigrants. They also suggest that the degree of transnationalism affects different kind of people on the move, subsequently brings about unique consequences to receiving community. In this study, we aim to determine factors contributing to the onward movement of Rohingyas from their refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh to Malaysia. We utilize the broader concept of transnationalism in order to gauge the Rohingyas’ perception and the realities they face in relation to their onward movement from Bangladesh to Malaysia. This study employed three methods of data collection namely a survey, an in-depth interview and a focus group discussion in engaging the Rohingyas in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Resulting from a two-part of data collection conducted in 2013 and 2016, we found that the onward movement of Rohingyas was mostly driven by poverty, unconducive livelihood experiences, limited access to humanitarian aid, and inadequate refugee protection in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, positive Rohingyas’ perception toward Malaysia, coupled with the availability of job opportunities have attracted them to choose Malaysia as the next asylum country. While this study enriches the existing literatures on transnationalism and onward movement of refugees, it also provides empirical evidences for humanitarian assistances in Bangladesh and Malaysia. Keywords: Forced migration, onward movement, refugees, Rohingya, transnationalism. Cite as: Ab. Wahab, A. & Khairi, A. (2019). Moving onward: Transnationalism and factors influencing Rohingyas’ migration from Bangladesh to Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(1), 49-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss1pp49-68

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and education for Rohingya refugees in Malaysia

“…The best strategy would be to use traditional and widely used methods of information dissemination. Rohingya NGOs can assist UNHCR in providing beneficiaries with information-based geographic displacement information capable of completing spatial descriptions as needed in promoting international human rights by developing and disseminating computerized refugee registration methods [10] . This can be accomplished by giving them the impression that refugees and refugee claimants can be well-handled within the system and that no free person should be left outside the system.…”

When Bare Life is Bearable: The Life Projects of Rohingya and Hazara Refugees Living in Malaysia

“…Interviews also revealed that some Rohingyas and Hazaras ran teashops and small restaurants. While some accessed microfinance managed by NGOs, most borrowed money through their social networks of families and friends (Wahab, 2017;Wahab and Khairi 2019). It appears that in addition to financial capabilityincluding, at least, initial capital and business and Malay language skillsa migrant's relationship with the local Malay community and businesspersons was key to running an enterprise.…”

“…In Southeast Asia, Malaysia is home to the largest number of refugees and asylum-seekers, the majority of whom are Muslim (Hussain 2017;UNHCR 2022). Muslim refugees from the Middle East and South Asia prefer Malaysia, due to its image as a progressive Islamic country (Wahab and Khairi 2019).…”

The United Nations (UN) Card, Identity, and Negotiations of Health among Rohingya Refugees

“…After leaving Myanmar or the camps of Bangladesh, Rohingya refugees often seek to reach Malaysia because it has generally shown its generosity to Rohingya refugees arriving by boat or through land [ 3 ]. Moreover, most Rohingya refugees seek to travel to Malaysia because the country has similar religious beliefs and because of the relative ease of securing jobs as refugees [ 4 ]. There is also a lesser likelihood of alienation or isolation as an informally settled Rohingya community has been distributed throughout Malaysia for two to three generations [ 5 ].…”