Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 26(2), 2005, 249-256  Copyright 2005 Department of Geography, National University of Singapore and Blackwell Publishers Ltd Can you tell me why Malaysia will not give us shelter [as refugees], and why “third countries” like Denmark, Norway and Canada are willing to? We are of the same racial origins ( serumpun bangsa), of the same religion, of the same culture… why [does Malaysia] not see our suffering? What is the point of sending so much assistance to Aceh, of rebuilding Banda Aceh to be like Putrajaya, when the Acehnese people are suffering here? Don’t get me wrong, we are very thankful to Malaysia for giving us help. But help those who are here in Malaysia too. And help us to end the violence in Aceh so that we can go home (field interview, Acehnese refugee, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, February 2005). It is highly hypocritical for the Malaysian government, on the one hand to send relief and aid to Aceh in the wake of the tsunami while on the other hand arrest, detain and deport Acehnese [refugees] back to Aceh (K. Shan, Solidarity for Aceh spokesperson, Kuala Lumpur, cited in Malaysiakini, 5 March 2005). There is no point sending aid to Aceh, if a political resolution is not found. It is like building a house today that will become ashes tomorrow (field interview, Acehnese refugee, Kuala Lumpur, March 2005). The tsunami struck Aceh just six days before the Malaysian government’s planned “crackdown” on “illegal immigrants”. First announced in July 2004, this campaign promised to mobilise around 400,000 RELA (Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia, “People’s Volunteer Corps”) personnel to arrest and deport some 1.2 million immigrants: those arrested would be charged under the Immigration Act, with the attendant possibility of months of imprisonment and whipping (AI, 2004a). This had generated particular anxiety among thousands of Acehnese in Malaysia 1 who had escaped from military clampdowns in Aceh over the past years. They were well aware that the Malaysian government does not give legal recognition to asylum seekers and refugees such that, in the event of a crackdown, Acehnese were unlikely to be distinguished from other “illegals”. 2 An amnesty period beginning in October 2004 that allowed “illegal immigrants” to leave Malaysia without threat of arrest at immigration resulted in the departure of over 400,000 migrants, the majority of whom were from Indonesia. Given continuing military operations in Aceh, however, most Acehnese decided that it was safer to remain in Malaysia. In the weeks leading up to the crackdown, many lost their jobs as employers became increasingly nervous about being arrested for employing those without official work permits. It was in this context of political fear and socioeconomic marginalisation that Acehnese INTERVENTION RIPPLES OF HOPE: ACEHNESE REFUGEES IN POST-TSUNAMI MALAYSIA Alice M. Nah 1 and Tim Bunnell 2 1 Department of Sociology and 2 Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore