For more than 16 years, thousands of refugees have been living in Malaysia, enduring extreme hardships, constant risks, and a very difficult daily life. Many face severe health crises without adequate support; some families are even dealing with devastating conditions like strokes and hemiplegia (paralysis).

Despite sending numerous requests for help to various NGOs and the UN, many of these pleas go unanswered. As a result, these vulnerable people are forced to simply survive their difficult circumstances while waiting indefinitely for the UN to call them for resettlement to other nations. This is not an exaggeration. I have personally interviewed many refugees who have lived—and even been born—in Malaysia for more than 18 years, and their stories reflect this harsh reality.

It is deeply saddening that the UN does not appear to be working hard enough to resettle these refugees. Currently, their support is largely limited to providing basic, low-cost healthcare and clinic services, which is not enough to truly change these people's lives.

Furthermore, the situation is made much harder by Malaysia's legal and social reality. Because Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, the country has no official national laws protecting refugees. The government only provides temporary shelter, not citizenship, and holds the power to close UN operations at any time. Additionally, Malaysia already has a very large population of foreigners and immigrants, meaning that physical space and resources are highly limited.

These refugees are trapped in a system that offers them no permanent home, and they deserve urgent, comprehensive action.