KOTA BARU: Thousands of Rohingya United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cardholders have flooded remote villages in the Melor subdistrict of Ketereh, causing unease among the locals.
Where once local residents "shared" their villages with the few refugees who arrived, a surge in Rohingya has now seen the foreigners assert their dominance.
The Rohingya community has established their presence with facilities such as madrasahs, eateries, and even a unique burial ground.
A survey of Kampung Melor Lama, Kampung Kubang Tin and Kampung Padang Kala found that all these settlements have groups of Rohingya residents.
The group also has a leisure "port" and coffeeshops that will only be visited by them, as well as madrasahs for children to learn and perform prayers, led by their own people.
A Rohingya resident, Mohd Yusoff, 50, said he has been living there for seven years and collects scrap metal to support his wife and four children.
He said he used a three-wheeled motorcycle to carry out this activity discreetly to avoid detection by the authorities.
He said he earns between RM40 and RM60 a day, which is sufficient to sustain daily life as his children attend a madrasah taught by Rohingya teachers.
"Please don't find fault with me; I don't disturb the villagers and only seek halal sustenance," he said, mentioning that he is just seeking shelter in another country and wants to take care of his family.
However, local residents have a different view, expressing concern that the influx of Rohingya may have negative implications, especially regarding safety.
Rohayu Ismail, 47, said based on her observation, many of the Rohingya come as couples and stay for a long time, even building families there.
"There are couples who get married here and claim that the marriage was officiated by a Rohingya kadi. They also invite villagers to their celebrations, hiring locals to cook for them.
"When asked how they entered the country, they all claim to have come legally because they possess UNHCR cards," she said.
A resident who only wanted to be known as Baharom, 58, said that the Rohingya have been present in Melor for more than 10 years, starting with only about five people.
"We did not expect them to increase so rapidly, possibly reaching thousands in a short period. If this situation continues, there is a possibility of this area being 'colonised' by the Rohingya.
"Moreover, they also cause disturbances, leading to several criminal cases, including fights... some are brave enough to confront the local residents.
"When their numbers increased, they became arrogant, posing a risk to the safety of the local residents," said the man from Kampung Melor Lama.
Baharom also said that the padi fields on the outskirts of his village were used as a settlement for Rohingya people, with some of them engaging in illegal activities such as gambling and cockfighting, as well as karaoke.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Zailan Wahab, 24, said that he has seen Rohingya residents driving four-wheeled vehicles on the road and violating traffic rules.
He claimed that some villagers have been victims of hit-and-run accidents involving Rohingya drivers and are still suffering from injuries.
"We hope that the authorities intensify operations among this ethnic group before the problem worsens," he said.
Another resident who only wanted to be known as Ali, 58, said that the special burial ground in the hidden area of Kampung Machang Bubok is no longer used for Rohingya burials after residents' protests.
He said that previously, the residents might not have known about the burial arrangements for the Rohingya.
"This area was previously an old village cemetery that was later used by Rohingya residents. There are more than 20 graves, with bodies not only from the local Rohingya community but also from outside Kelantan, such as Pahang, Johor, and Kuala Lumpur," he said.
However, a Rohingya imam at one of the madrasahs, known
only as Ustaz Abdullah, said Kelantan was a good, safe place for his people.
"People here are all good people," he said, describing Kelantan "one of the safest states" for people like them.
Due to this factor, he said he was more comfortable living for an extended period in a village inhabited by his compatriots.
"It is different from living in Butterworth and Kuala Lumpur. I have no plans to return (to Myanmar) because my country is not safe; I might be killed.
"I teach the religion to Rohingya children besides being the imam for obligatory prayers. For Friday prayers, we go to another mosque with the villagers.
"In the past, we had a place for our Friday prayers with 'our people' only, but now it's no longer there," he said when met at the Rohingya madrasah in Kampung Melor Lama.
According to him, their community helps each other because some of their members are categorised as "wealthy" after engaging in various businesses, and always provide financial and food assistance.