Malaysia’s refugee registration exercise will move beyond detention depots to include UNHCR cardholders outside the facilities, says Ahmad Zahid.
PETALING JAYA: The government will expand its refugee registration exercise to include United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cardholders outside Immigration Detention Depots (DTIs) under the second phase of its nationwide data collection programme.
Deputy Prime Minister and Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the first phase of the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme focused on individuals held at DTIs, while the second phase was expected to cover UNHCR cardholders outside the depots in the near future.
In a written parliamentary reply, he said the programme was being implemented under National Security Council Directive No. 23: Policy and Mechanism for the Management of Refugees and Asylum Seekers (2023 revision).
“The programme, which is still in its first phase, focuses on individuals in Immigration Detention Depots and is expected to move to the second phase, focusing on UNHCR cardholders outside the DTIs in the near future,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said the data collection exercise aimed to help the authorities manage, coordinate and monitor the whereabouts of refugees during their temporary stay in Malaysia, before they were resettled in third countries or returned to their countries of origin.
He said international organisations remained important partners for Malaysia, providing platforms for cooperation and expertise in addressing cross-border issues that could not be tackled by the country alone.
Such organisations also helped strengthen Malaysia’s capacity and ease the burden of managing humanitarian issues, he added.
Ahmad Zahid cited Malaysia’s experience in managing Vietnamese refugees at Pulau Bidong from the late 1970s to the 1990s, when the country worked with UNHCR and the international community to manage refugee arrivals, provide temporary protection and facilitate resettlement in third countries.
He said the government continued to require UNHCR’s assistance in facilitating refugee resettlement, as countries receiving refugees used UNHCR cards to verify and authenticate their refugee status.
Ahmad Zahid was responding to a question from Mohd Sany Hamzan (PH-Hulu Langat) on the government’s position regarding international organisations operating in Malaysia, including UNHCR, and concerns over cooperation and the sharing of refugee data.
Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol.