Chin Refugees from war and Chin Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) participants sheltering in Malaysia held a peaceful rally in front of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Kuala Lumpur, on 26 September 2024.

The rally participants were calling on the United Nations (UN) to provide them with care and protection.

A participant in the rally said to Chin World Media: "About 300 people, including CDM staff and refugees, participated in the protest. Following the coup, CDM staff and individuals who fled the clashes in Chin State came to Malaysia through illegal routes seeking refuge. However, UN care and protection are not yet available for them. This protest aims to request the UN's support for care and protection as soon as possible.”

The protesters’ demands include an end to the contemptuous, rude, violent, and discriminatory treatment of refugees by local security personnel; access to appropriate care for the refugees.

The rally was organized by the Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR), the Chin Refugees Committee (CRC), and various other Chin ethnic associations.

According to multiple reports undocumented refugees from Myanmar and Myanmar migrant workers in Malaysia face various forms of oppression, including arrest and extortion by the police.

Following the coup in February 2021, many refugees from the fighting, CDM staff, and young people from across Myanmar fled to Malaysia using both legal and illegal routes.

According to UNHCR Malaysia, at the end of April 2024 there were nearly 190,000 applicants for political asylum in Malaysia, of which 160,000 were from Myanmar.

Previously, before 2018, the UNHCR provided Chin refugees in Malaysia with Refugee Recognition Cards. These provided minimal protection from the authorities and limited access to health, education and other essential support services provided by the UN agency or its partner organisations. But they did not protect them from deportation as registered or unregistered refugees are both liable for arrest and deportation under Malaysian law.

In June 2018 UNHCR announced that it would not renew Chin refugees Refugee Recognition Cards and in December 2019 cancelled all Refugee Recognition Cards held by Chins in Malaysia because it deemed that Chin State was safe enough for refugees to return to at that time.

Currently, the UNHCR in Malaysia still does not issue Chin refugees with Refugee Recognition Cards. In exceptional circumstances if, following a face-to-face interview, UNHCR believes that a Chin refugee in Malaysia requires protection UNHCR will issue a letter confirming their status.