Three groups assisting Chin refugees meet Australian senator over refugee situation in Malaysia

Three organizations assisting Chin refugees in Malaysia met with Australian Senator Dean Smith to discuss the challenges facing Chin refugees in the country.

Smith, the Australian Senate’s Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, toured Southeast Asia, visiting Malaysia and Thailand to meet with humanitarian organizations.

From January 11 to 13, the three Chin refugee groups presented Smith with the difficulties faced by the refugees and discussed possible avenues for assistance.

“The situation on the ground is really tough. We told him that more Chin refugees are being arrested in Malaysia. There were even cases where the junta picked them up at the airport and then killed them after they were deported back to Myanmar. We also talked about how the refugee processing in Australia, which used to be really fast, has slowed down a lot lately. On top of that, the U.S. funding has stopped, which makes things even harder. We explained how all this is affecting the Chin refugees and asked him to help get the Australian government involved,” said Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR) President James Bawi Thang Bik.