Following news that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith have visited Malaysia to discuss issues including border control and human trafficking in the Asia Pacific region, Amnesty International is urging the Government to seek durable solutions for those fleeing persecution and to ensure that their human rights are respected.

As the Australian Government itself acknowledges, increased instability and conflict in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, Burma and Sri Lanka have forced more people to flee their homelands.

“If the Government is serious about combating issues such as people smuggling, human trafficking and border control in the Asia Pacific region, their approach must also include durable solutions for asylum seekers,” said Dr. Graham Thom, Refugee Coordinator for Amnesty International.

“Our region is not immune to global trends regarding the movement of people. Any effective approach to the issues of people smuggling and human trafficking in the Asia Pacific must recognise the reasons why people are travelling to places like Malaysia and Australia in the first place, and seek to provide durable solutions.”

“People flee from their homes because their lives are at risk. While we welcome news that the Government is seeking greater regional cooperation on these issues, we urge them to ensure that any new measures adopted do not obstruct the fundamental right of people to seek asylum,” said Graham Thom.

Amnesty International believes that if Australia is going to work more closely with Malaysian authorities to deal with human trafficking, the Government should urge Malaysia to sign the 1951 UN Refugee Convention. Malaysia does not currently recognise refugees, even those who have been certified as such by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Malaysia has a record of extremely harsh treatment of asylum seekers, including the use of caning as a punishment for immigration offences. In March 2008, 480,000 untrained volunteers from the Relawan Ikatan Rakyat (RELA, People’s Volunteer Corps) took over management of 11 immigration detention centres in the country, resulting in an increase in reports of serious abuses of detainees by RELA members.