Syed Saddiq warns Malaysia's refugee load could explode without regional help

Speaking before a parliamentary select committee on refugee management, Syed Saddiq highlighted that Malaysia has taken in roughly 130,000 officially recorded Rohingya refugees, with unofficial numbers exceeding 200,000, while nearby countries host far fewer. He described this imbalance as a broken promise, leaving Malaysia to shoulder the burden alone. While affirming Malaysia’s humanitarian identity, he called for a zero-tolerance policy by the navy and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency to stop boats carrying refugees and migrants.

He warned that failure to act encourages human-trafficking networks, referencing the discovery of over 150 bodies in Wang Kelian mass graves. Saddiq also urged regional and developed nations to share the load, proposing Malaysia serve as a temporary documentation centre before refugees are resettled elsewhere. He noted the ongoing repatriation of 3,524 Myanmar nationals, with 1,476 already returned.