PM's Dept to manage Qatar Development Fund Aid for Rohingya - DPM Zahid

The Prime Minister's Department and the National Security Council will manage the monetary aid to be provided by the Qatar Development Fund to help the Rohingya community in Malaysia, said Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Deputy Prime Minister said this was decided by the high-level committee on the management of the Rohingyas holding the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards, at its meeting today which he chaired.

Ahmad Zahid also said that several ministries and government agencies as well as relevant NGOs would also be involved in the coordination pertaining to the funds.

He said Malaysia's appeal to help the Rohingya refugees had received the support of the Qatar government during his visit to that country from Feb 4 to 7.

During the visit, he said, the Qatar government announced that aid from the Qatar Development Fund would be used for the welfare of the 56,135 Rohingya UNHCR card holders currently in Malaysia.

"The funds will be used in three major aspects, namely training, education and health, and will have a positive effect in the long term," he said in a statement after the meeting.

Ahmad Zahid said that in terms of skills training, the Home Ministry launched on March 1 this year a pilot project on the employment of 300 Rohingya UNHCR card holders in Malaysia.

The project involved emplacing the Rohingya in the plantation and manufacturing sectors for a period of three years pending their return to their country of origin or resettlement in a third country, he said.

He said the Human Resource Ministry, Education Ministry and Health Ministry would implement skilled and semi-skilled training, education for Rohingya children and a health insurance scheme, respectively, with the cooperation of relevant NGOs. -- BERNAMA