Tens of thousands of refugees, a big portion of them from Syria, have flooded European shores in recent months seeking better life. Malaysia says it is prepared to host 3,000 Syrian refugees, but prefers professionals and semi-skilled. – Reuters pic, October 8, 2015.Malaysia is to give preference to professional and semi-skilled people in accepting the 3,000 Syrian refugees it has agreed to bring to Malaysia over the next three years.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Home Ministry was working out the procedure for these refugees to move to Malaysia.
“This is Malaysia's commitment to the international community," he said, elaborating on the announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the acceptance of the Syrian refugees when addressing the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on October 1.
Referring to the Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the Syrian refugee crisis, Najib said the world community should not just sit back and watch what was going on.
It is estimated that more than four million Syrians have fled as refugees from the civil war in their country.
Zahid said Malaysia was more committed now than during the war in the Balkan states when the country accepted 200 refugees from Bosnia Herzegovina.
He spoke to Malaysian journalists soon after he began a working visit to Washington.
“The visit is at the invitation of the United States government," said Zahid, who is also the home minister.
He is scheduled to sign the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6 (HSPD-6) with US Secretary of State John Kerry, the final procedure for Malaysia to be granted exemption of visa for Malaysians visiting the United States.
An announcement on the facility is expected to be made by US President Barack Obama during his visit to Malaysia scheduled for next month.
Zahid (pic, left) said all Malaysians eligible to visit the US would enjoy the visa exemption.
He said Malaysia had already complied with most of the matters on the checklist towards visa exemption, and the rejection rate for visa applications shall not exceed 3% compared to the existing 4.2%.
However, he said, this was more of a technical hitch related to knowing how to fill the application form than a security issue.
The deputy prime minister said the matter could be addressed with the cooperation of the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur through the holding of awareness programmes for tour agents and the public on the visa application procedure.
Zahid, who is on his third visit to the US since October last year, is scheduled to hold discussions with various authorities in Washington, such as the State Department, Homeland Security Department and organisations such as the CIA and FBI.
On the first day of his visit, he held meetings with CIA and FBI, and had discussions separately with CIA director John Brennan and deputy director Mark Giuliano, on among other things, cooperation in addressing the threat of extremism, on cyber security and cyber crime, including cross-border crime.
Zahid said besides exchanging information and intelligence information, the US could share with Malaysian enforcement agencies its expertise in software and training on cyber crime and cyber security.
He said that amendments would be made to Malaysian laws to provide for monitoring of the cyberspace and social media in the country.
Zahid invited the CIA and FBI to attend the Putrajaya International Security Dialogue on October 21-22 as well as the International Conference on Deradicalisation in Malaysia in January next year. – Bernama, October 8, 2015.
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