“CRISIS WITHIN A CRISIS”
Arfaat Mohammed Emran, a refugee from Rohingya, arrived in Malaysia nearly ten years ago after fleeing Maungdaw, a village in Rakhine State.
He is currently a teacher at a Langkawi group college that UNHCR has funded.
Despite not adhering to the UN convention on immigrants, the father of two is appreciative of Malaysia providing him and his family with momentary protection.
” We feel secure, but never for a long time”, he added. ” We have been waiting for UN account for any settlement, or if our country is at peace, we need to transfer to our country, like volunteer return”.
But the situation up home appears to be worsening with the military cutting off contact, he said.  ,
Arfaat hopes that Malaysia’s leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) this year will help to highlight the suffering of Rohingyas and put an end to their persecution.
This year, Langkawi may host at least 30 Asian meetings.
” It’s a crisis within a crisis”, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science.  ,
” On one hand, there’s a turmoil of the revolution and civil conflict that has to be resolved apparently, and ASEAN has a large, major role in that”, he added.
However, ASEAN also needs to consider the Rohingya crises in Rakhine State and work with the Arakan army to stop the Rohingya Muslims ‘ oppression within that problems.