Three organizations assisting Chin refugees in Malaysia met with Australian Senator Dean Smith to discuss the challenges facing Chin refugees in the country.

Smith, the Australian Senate’s Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, toured Southeast Asia, visiting Malaysia and Thailand to meet with humanitarian organizations.

From January 11 to 13, the three Chin refugee groups presented Smith with the difficulties faced by the refugees and discussed possible avenues for assistance.

“The situation on the ground is really tough. We told him that more Chin refugees are being arrested in Malaysia. There were even cases where the junta picked them up at the airport and then killed them after they were deported back to Myanmar. We also talked about how the refugee processing in Australia, which used to be really fast, has slowed down a lot lately. On top of that, the U.S. funding has stopped, which makes things even harder. We explained how all this is affecting the Chin refugees and asked him to help get the Australian government involved,” said Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR) President James Bawi Thang Bik.

A major concern raised by the Chin groups was the long waiting times for refugees in Malaysia to obtain documents and visas to settle in Australia.

During his visit, Smith met with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) branch in Malaysia, along with officials from the Australian embassy, to discuss ways to support the Chin community.

“He told us he would try to help as much as he could. He went to the UNHCR office to talk about the situation for us Chin people. He also met embassy staff to see how assistance could be facilitated. He said he would raise these issues in parliament when he returns to Australia and push the government to do its best,” James Bawi Thang Bik said.

The three Chin organizations represented at the meeting were the ACR, the Chin Refugees Committee (CRC), and the Falam Refugee Organization (FRO). Six representatives from these groups attended, along with Pu Renny Ceu Lian Mang from the Australia Chin Federation and representatives from other ethnic communities.

During his stay in Malaysia, Smith also visited schools and offices run by Chin organizations in Kuala Lumpur that provide services to refugees.

There are more than 80,000 ethnic Chin in Malaysia, including those recognized as refugees by the UNHCR.