Immigration: Rohingya refugees allowed entry into Malaysia

Local Bangladeshis help Rohingya Muslim refugees to disembark from a boat on the Bangladeshi side of Naf river near the Bangladeshi town of Teknaf on Sept 11. - AFP

PUTRAJAYA: Rohingya fleeing persecution from Rakhine state in Myanmar will be permitted entry into Malaysia but the Immigration Department would still need to distinguish between genuine refugees and economic migrants.

"The influx will happen, and Malaysia is one of the refugees' destinations. I want to emphasise that we will follow whatever policy decisions made by the Home Ministry, including letting the Rohingya refugees in to prevent them from being killed," Immigration Department director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said after witnessing the anti-corruption pledge by the department's operations, investigation and prosecution division on Monday.