PETALING JAYA: Malaysia faces difficulties in repatriating Rohingya refugees as other countries, including Myanmar, are not willing to take them in, says Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud (pic).
In an interview with Sinar Harian, Khairul said this has made Malaysia the main destination for Rohingya to seek refuge and settle in the country.
"Since 2019, these Rohingya refugees have been detained at immigration detention depots throughout the country.
"The current number of those arrested is 1,998 people," he said to Sinar Harian on Friday (June 11).
He was responding to Sinar Harian's report on Friday which revealed that Rohingya refugees are paying up to RM10,000 to agents or syndicates to enter Malaysia illegally.
On June 1, Khairul Dzaimee was reported to have said that Rohingya refugees detained at immigration detention depots nationwide would not be deported for the time being due to Myanmar's refusal to accept them.
Sinar Harian noted that although they are undocumented migrants, they cannot be deported based on immigration laws and regulations, as their country of origin does not want to accept them, which makes the process of preparing documents impossible.
Currently, all the refugees have been transferred from Wawasan Negara Camp, Langkawi to Sungai Bakap Temporary Immigration Depot, Penang and Bidor, Perak.
