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Malaysia Denies Work Rights and Services to Rohingya Refugees
Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Malaysia lack legal work rights and face restricted access to medical care. A free clinic run by Medecins sans Frontieres in Penang now turns patients away after U.S. foreign aid cuts reduced other services. Malaysia has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention.
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Rohingya refugees in Malaysia continue to face limits on work, medical access, and legal status, according to reporting from a free health clinic in Penang. The clinic, operated by Medecins sans Frontieres, serves people who arrived after fleeing violence in Myanmar. Many reached Malaysia after boat journeys through southern Thailand and payments to smugglers.
Conditions at the clinic One patient described spending 19 days at sea with limited food and water before being taken into Thailand. After his parents paid a ransom, he crossed into Malaysia and has not seen his family since. The clinic has become the main source of care after U.S. foreign aid reductions ended other services. Staff now turn away some patients because demand exceeds capacity.
Legal and financial barriers Malaysia has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not grant registered refugees the right to work. Registered refugees also pay higher medical fees than citizens. One woman at the clinic said her family borrowed more than $10,000 for a child’s hospital care.
The child later died after the family could not afford surgery. The United Nations Refugee Agency reports about 130,000 Rohingya registered in Malaysia, with additional unregistered individuals facing the same restrictions.
