PETALING JAYA: The Australian High Court’s verdict against the refugee swap deal is a reminder that Malaysia’s legal protection of asylum seekers is inadequate, Malaysian Bar president Lim Chee Wee said.
Much of this was due to the fact that Malaysia was not a party to the United Nations’ Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, he added.
“The court’s decision must be a reminder to Malaysia of the importance of being a signatory to the UN convention and its protocol.”
The deal, the first of its kind in the world, was aimed at stopping human trafficking syndicates.
The deal received heavy criticisms from refugee rights advocates and Australian opposition leaders, as concerns weighed in on Malaysia’s treatment of refugees.
Under Malaysian law, asylum seekers have the same status as illegal immigrants and are subjected to arrest, detention and deportation.
Lim said the Bar had submitted a memorandum containing a legal and administrative framework for refugee policy to the Government in June but had yet to receive a response.
While acknowledging that the agreement is invalid, Lim hoped that Australia would continue to assist and cooperate with Malaysia in the resettlement of asylum seekers.
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Talk on Summary Judgement (25 May 2012) Organised by the Selangor Bar Committee, this talk will take place at 5:00 pm, at the Selangor Bar Committee Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). The talk will be conducted by Ramesh Supramanian. Click on the link above for more details.
Seminar on Tax Issues in Financial Transactions (25 May 2012) Organised by the Kuala Lumpur Bar Professional Development Committee, this seminar, featuring S Saravana Kumar, will take place at 3:00 pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Bar Auditorium, on 25 May 2012 (Friday). Click on the link above for more details.
Dialogue with Criminal Law Practitioners (26 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council, this dialogue will take place at 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at the Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, Bar Council, on 26 May 2012 (Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
Conference on Competition Law (31 May 2012) Organised by Bar Council with the support of LexisNexis, this conference will take place at 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, at Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel, on 31 May 2012 (Thursday). For more details or to register, please contact Vilashini Vijayan (03-2050 2095; vila@malaysianbar.org.my). Click on the link above for more details.
Talk on What Clients Want (7 June 2012) Organised by the KL Bar Practitioners' Affairs Committee, the talk, presented by Ong Eu Jin, will take place at 5:00 pm, at the KL Bar Auditorium, on 7 June 2012 (Thursday). Click on the link above for more details.
4th LAWASIA Family Law Conference, Penang (13 and 14 July 2012) Supported by Penang Bar Committee and the Malaysian Bar, this conference, themed “The New Global Family: Emerging Trends and Challenges to Family Practice”, will take place at Traders Hotel, Penang, on 13 and 14 July 2012 (Friday and Saturday). Click on the link above for more details.
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