ABSTRACT
A growing Malaysian economy has, largely, been able to accommodate a transient cheap labour force made up of irregular immigrants and asylum seekers/refugees and provide them with some economic stability. The situation for urban refugees in Kuala Lumpur (KL) in Malaysia is complex. The chapter discusses the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) policy on urban refugees and its effects on the refugee populations in Kuala Lumpur. Refugee community organizations depend on UNHCR for registration, but little else, as many run their own education, work and health programmes, often in partnership with Malaysian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and some UNHCR implementing partners. There are three main service providers in Kuala Lumpur who have provided, and continue to provide, most of the free or heavily subsidized health care to UNHCR registered refugees: A Call To Serve (ACTS), Taiwan Buddhist Tzu-Chi Foundation Malaysia and Health Equity Initiatives.
