Country Information

Malaysia’s two regions are separated by the South China Sea. Its population of 25.5 million continues to grow annually by 1.7%. The politically dominant Muslim Malays comprise a majority of the population. About a quarter of the population is Chinese and about ten percent are of Indian descent and include Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians. Non-Malay indigenous groups, comprising many ethnicities, make up more than half of the Borneo state of Sarawak's population and about 66% of the Borneo state of Sabah's population.

Political and Economic Environment
The Federation of Malaya became independent from the United Kingdom in 1957. The British colonies of Singapore, Sarawak, and Sabah (called North Borneo) joined together with the Federation to form Malaysia in 1963. In its early years, the new nation contended with Indonesian efforts to control Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, Singapore's secession and widespread riots between ethnic Chinese and Malays. Following World War II, local communists, nearly all Chinese, launched a long, bitter insurgency, prompting the imposition of a state of emergency in 1948 (which was lifted in 1960). Guerrillas who remained in bases along the border with southern Thailand and occasionally entered northern Malaysia signed a peace accord with the Malaysian Government in 1989. A separate, small-scale communist insurgency that began in the mid-1960s in Sarawak also ended with the signing of a peace accord in October 1990.  

The United Malays National Organization (UMNO) has ruled the country in a coalition with Chinese and Indian parties since independence, and has sought to improve the circumstances of the relatively poor and ill-educated Malay majority. In 2004, Malaysia witnessed its first change in leadership in more than two decades when Abdullah Badawi (deputy prime minister since 1999) won a March election in a landslide and took over from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. On taking office he faced a strong political challenge from opposition Islamic fundamentalists and inherited the task of overseeing one of the region's most vibrant economies.

The economy continued to grow by at least 6.0% to 7.0% in 2004. The better than expected expansion in 2003 was fueled primarily by the manufacturing sector, particularly the electronics and chemical industries. The U.S. is Malaysia’s principal trade and investment partner; Malaysia is the U.S.’s 10th-largest trading partner and its 16th-largest export market.

Humanitarian Situation
The Chin Refugee Committee (CRC) estimates that 12,000 Chin live in Malaysia, of whom more than 9,000 are registered with the CRC.  More than 2,500 Chin have applied for registration as asylum seekers with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). There are an estimated 28,000 refugees in Malaysia including 10,000 Rohingyas, an ethnic Muslim minority from Burma, who came during the 1990s, Buddhist Mon and other ethnic groups from Burma, as well as people from the Indonesia province of Aceh. The refugees often live in makeshift jungle camps around Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur, often living alongside illegal migrants, which makes them particularly vulnerable during any crackdown.

The Chin Refugee Committee estimates that 15,000 Chin, almost all men and Christian, have fled Burma to live and work in Malaysia. About 1,000 of them live in the highlands, working as day laborers on plantations. Most of the other Chin are construction workers in the cities, especially in and around Kuala Lumpur. Refugees from Burma who are registered with UNHCR have some degree of protection, but still report that they are often arrested and detained by the police and immigration authorities.

On March 1, 2005, the Malaysian government started its crackdown of undocumented aliens. Thousands of undocumented migrants have been arrested and tried under strict immigration laws. The operation is likely to have a negative impact on refugees and asylum seekers from Burma, especially the Chin, and Aceh. Most of the Chin in this area are not registered with UNHCR and thus are subject to arrest and deportation to Thailand by Malaysian authorities. The Chin in the highlands are afraid to take the risk and bear the cost of traveling to Kuala Lumpur to register. The crackdown on aliens living and working in Malaysia has caused labor shortages on Malaysia's plantations and in its booming construction industry and revealed that the country is heavily dependent on foreign workers. The Chin’s primary need is legal protection from the police and adequate access to medical care.
In August of 2005, over a hundred Thai Muslims living in the far South entered Malaysia due to fear of violence and the recent 900 deaths of Islamic separatists, organized criminals and drug dealers. Malaysia fears additional Thai Muslims may try to enter Malaysia and has increased patrols of the Thai-Malaysia border.

Updated September 2005