Refugees in Malaysia: A short video made by Burmese refugees about their marginalized, unsafe lives and lack of education in Malaysia, with support from our Fulbright team

September, 2013

With support from our Fulbright team and funding from the U.S. State Department, Burmese refugees in Malaysia made this powerful, short film about their marginalized lives and lack of education in Malaysia, a country with a current government that is hostile to refugees. The film bravely addresses:

• How and why they fled from Burma to Malaysia
• How they face detention, are forced to pay bribes, and barely survive in Malaysia
• How the Malaysian government does not allow refugee children to go to Malaysian government schools.
• How refugees are trying to educate their children, themselves.

Why is this film so brave? Because lives of refugees in Malaysia have been kept secret and refugees have kept themselves hidden due to Malaysian government policies targeting, harrassing, and detaining refugees in Malaysia - the Malaysian government is not a signatory to the 1951 UN human rights convention protecting refugees and has been described by human rights groups as abusing refugees and their rights in Malaysia.

 Click HERE to see the video on youtube.

Or watch it below --