(May 25): After sparking a political spat between the Penang government and Putrajaya for suggesting that Rohingya refugees be housed in Penang, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar today said it was up to the parties concerned to think of a suitable location.

The inspector-general of police said he had merely suggested Penang as it would make things more convenient to host the refugees there temporarily.

"I suggested the state because I think it would be easier to take care of the people there with the existing infrastructure," he said in Wang Kelian, Perlis, where a mass grave, believed to be for Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees, was found near the Thai-Malaysian border today.

"Let the other parties figure out the exact location (in the state).

"I have talked about it and I don’t want to elaborate further. Many other have now made statements in response to it."

On Friday, Khalid suggested Penang as a suitable location to temporarily house the 7,000 Rohingya refugees who had fled persecution in Myanmar via people smugglers and were still adrift at sea.

He said it would be easier to send them away later if they were placed in a northern state.

Malaysia and neighbouring Indonesia, following criticism for turning away the refugees who were trying to land about two weeks ago, announced last week that both countries would take in the refugees for a year pending a resettling solution by the international community.

Khalid’s suggestion had puzzled the Penang government, as it had not been consulted on the matter.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said his administration was in the dark and did not know where exactly in Penang Khalid had in mind when he suggested that the refugees be housed in the state.

The Star yesterday reported that Lim wanted Putrajaya to house the refugees on federal land, as Penang was too densely populated to be a suitable location with both the island and mainland having little state land.

He said there were already some 50,000 Rohingya in Penang since the last six years and that state land could not be used to house them.

He added that perhaps Khalid was thinking of Pulau Jerejak, an island located off the southeastern tip of Penang that used to hold detainees under the Internal Security Act.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi then challenged Penang to host the refugees, telling the Pakatan Rakyat state to show its sincerity in doing good for human rights.

Yesterday, Kedah also declined to house the refugees, with Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir saying that the state could not afford to accommodate so many of them while having limited facilities. – The Malaysian Insider