On 20th June 2020, a group of students from School of Media and Communication (SOMAC) organized a panel discussion focusing on the plight of refugee and migrant communities in Malaysia. The event was part of their digital campaign project for non-profits supervised and facilitated by SOMAC lecturer, Mr. Philip Gan. With over 35 participants who shared concern and compassion for these minority communities.
The panel discussion was led by two prominent speakers in the media and activism communities. Ms. Tehmina Kaoosji, an independent broadcast journalist based in Malaysia, shared about the correlation between negative media coverage of the issue and how it fuels the public’s anger and xenophobia towards these communities and those that are seen to support them.
The second panelist was Ms. Mahi Ramakrishnan, a documentarian and activist and founder of Beyond Borders Malaysia, an NGO established to support and champion the rights of the refugee communities, took a more personal approach by sharing heart-rending accounts of various refugee families suffering during the recent crackdown by the authorities and the struggle for survival during the MCO period.