KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government is looking at a new scheme that would allow for voluntary repatriation and reintegration of refugees as a potential solution for refugees across the Muslim world. In a statement by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, he said the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries “should work together and assist each other” in addressing this issue. “The strategies and methods of implementation to create a safe and conducive environment for the return of refugees are steps that OIC countries should undertake to discuss expeditiously,” he said. He said this in his statement at the OIC International Conference on Refugees in the Muslim World in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. The statement was made available to the media by the ministry here. Noting that the Muslim world today faced the problem of hosting more than 50 percent of the world's refugees, Anifah stressed that each refugee situation had its own peculiarity and that there was no ‘one size fits all' solution. “At the same time, we need to recognize the social and humanitarian dimension that this problem brings and the urgent need for us to address its root causes,” Anifah said. The minister observed that the number of refugees in the Muslim world would continue to increase and this situation could not continue. He added in the statement to reporters that the international community had an important role to play, particularly in assisting the countries involved to facilitate the voluntary repatriation and successful reintegration of returnees. It comes as the OIC looks at the role of refugees fleeing conflict zones and the potential to be resettled in Islamic countries, notably Malaysia and Indonesia. The hope is that the OIC can begin to increase the number of refugees coming into their countries as a sign of goodwill.
