KUALA LUMPUR: The government has directed the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to halt all refugee registrations temporarily to allow for the restructuring of the management system via the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the decision was made by the Cabinet to ensure that the management and registration of refugees in the country are carried out in a more orderly manner under government supervision.
"We have gone through the Cabinet's decision and instructed the UNHCR to stop any refugee registrations for the time being because we are reorganising the implementation of the DPP programme.
"Through the DPP, the government can manage data in a more organised manner, including the purposes of data coordination, identity verification, monitoring, and regulation without relying on the records of any foreign entities," he said when answering a supplementary question from Senator Hussin Ismail in the Dewan Negara on Thursday (July 23).
Hussin was seeking an explanation regarding the government's measures to address the issue of Rohingya refugees who possess neither identity documents nor citizenship recognised by their country of origin, Myanmar.
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Lukanisman said that registration under the DPP will be carried out through a strict process in collaboration with various enforcement agencies to ensure that only eligible individuals are registered and to prevent the entry of illegal immigrants in the future.
He said Malaysia is also continuing a multilateral approach towards Myanmar and Asean member countries to address the Rohingya refugee issue more seriously.
He said that the step is important to prevent Malaysia from continuing to bear the burden of refugee management since the country is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, in addition to considering the impact on the local community/
Meanwhile, Lukanisman said that around 5,000 Myanmar nationals currently in the immigration detention depot will be repatriated following the readiness of the country's government to accept them back.
"Approximately 5,000 Myanmar nationals who are currently detained at the depot will be repatriated to the Myanmar government and will be sent back using naval ships, subject to the resolution process," he added. - Bernama
