Between Humanity and Security: The Dilemma of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Towards Rohingya Refugees

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-362-7_8How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA); Rohingya refugees; Maritime Security; Sovereignty; Humanitarian Assistance

Abstract

This article examines the dilemma faced by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in balancing humanitarian concerns with national security imperatives in their response to the Rohingya refugee crisis. The MMEA is tasked with safeguarding Malaysia’s maritime borders and combating transnational crimes, including human trafficking. However, the Rohingya crisis has strained the agency’s operational capacities, as the irregular maritime arrivals of Rohingya refugees continue unabated. The MMEA’s response is characterized by the delicate tension between upholding humanitarian obligations and addressing security concerns. In this study, a qualitative methodology was applied. Purposive sampling was used to identify MMEA personnel with experience dealing with the Rohingya refugee crisis. In-depth interviews were done with respondents to collect data using semi-structured questions. As result, the ethical and legal challenges faced by the MMEA in managing the Rohingya refugee crisis could be see based on the Malaysian government policy of security concern and its impact on the treatment and protection of Rohingya refugees. The securitization of migration and the perception of refugees as potential security threats further complicate the agency’s decision-making process. Nevertheless, MMEA strives to adopt a comprehensive and multidimensional approach that reconciles humanitarian values with security imperatives. The findings underscore the need for enhanced regional cooperation, policy coherence, and the development of sustainable solutions to ensure the protection of Rohingya refugees while addressing the legitimate security concerns of host countries.

Copyright

© 2023 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Aizat Khairi
AU  - Andika Ab. Wahab
AU  - Mohd Na’eim Ajis
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/01/22
TI  - Between Humanity and Security: The Dilemma of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Towards Rohingya Refugees
BT  - Proceedings of the Southeast Asian Conference on Migration and Development (SEACMD 2023)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 91
EP  - 102
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-362-7_8
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-362-7_8
ID  - Khairi2024
ER  -