KUALA LUMPUR: Refugee status has been granted to 78 Rohingya, 25 of whom are now eligible for local employment under the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme, says the Home Ministry.
It said the 78 were part of a larger group of 128 from Myanmar relocated to the Special Isolation and Asylum Seekers Centre (PPKPPS) in Bidor, Ipoh.
It said the refugees were part of DPP’s first phase, which has registered a total 4,010 people since the programme was implemented in January.
"The group of 128 transferred to the Bidor PPKPPS consisted of 127 men and one woman.
"From this group, 78 individuals (77 men and one woman) were given refugee status approval under the DPP with their release to be carried out after all related processes are completed," it said in a parliamentary written reply dated Wednesday (July 8).
Teresa Kok (PH-Seputeh) asked about the current status of the DPP programme, and the number of refugees permitted to work under it so far.
The DPP was developed to be Malaysia’s primary refugee registration system and database.
Its first phase is focused on the registration of refugees and asylum seekers at immigration detention centres nationwide.
Phase two will involve registering individuals holding United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards and is planned to begin in the second half of the year with completion scheduled for Dec 31, 2029.
All successful DPP applicants will be given a card that serves as their government-recognised identification for a temporary stay in Malaysia.
