Rohingya refugees and contemporary issues in Malaysia

Cross-border migration is the consequence of the displacement of millions of people around the world who are forced to leave their place of origin as legitimate workers, immigrants or refugees. As a rapidly developing country with a large Muslim community, economic strength and political stability, Malaysia has attracted the attention of millions of illegal immigrants. This study examined the causes and issues of the influx of ethnic Rohingya refugees from Myanmar into Malaysia by highlighting incidents of Rohingya human trafficking in 2015, in particular, how they entered Malaysia. Primer data were collected from structured interviews with informants connected with crossborder migration and refugees in Malaysia, and secondary data from research based documents, books,newspapers and online data on migration. The study found that the influx of illegal Rohingya immigrants or refugees had created problems for the country by way of the critical issues of illegal border crossings, human trafficking, and the fact that the Malaysian government had to bear all the social responsibility of accommodating the Rohingya refugees while the country of origin, Myanmar, ignored the entire issue.