Malaysia Harbors 68 Syrian Asylum Seekers to Help Settle Refugee Crisis

Malaysia on Saturday received a group of 68 Syrian refugees, including 31 children, expected to stay in the country on a temporary basis, the Star newspaper reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — At the UN General Assembly last year, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that the country would accept up to 3,000 Syrian refugees within three years in a bid to help solve the global refugee crisis. The first group of 11 Syrian refugees arrived in Malaysia in December.

According to the Star newspaper, an aircraft carrying the Syrians landed at a Malaysian Air Force base at around 11:00 a.m. local time (03:00 GMT).

The Syrian asylum seekers will be provided with all the necessary documents that will allow them to work and study in Malaysia until the situation in their own country is stabilized, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who greeted the refugees at the airport, said.

The next group of 200 refugees from Syria is expected to arrive in the country during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts on June 6 and lasts through July 5 this year.