Malaysia Asks UNHCR To Temporarily Cease Registration Of Refugees

Malaysia has asked the UN refugee agency to temporarily stop registering new refugees in the country, as it builds a domestic system to manage asylum-seekers.

As per Reuters, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the suspension would enable the government to implement its own refugee registration programme, known as the DPP, which it launched in January.

"Through the DPP, the government can manage data in a more structured manner, including in identity verification, monitoring and regulation, without relying entirely on the records of any foreign entity," he told parliament's upper house, responding to questions on Malaysia's efforts to manage Rohingya refugees.

According to the UNHCR, there were about 215,600 refugees and asylum-seekers registered with the agency in Malaysia at the end of February. Of these, some 193,824 are from Myanmar, comprising about 126,144 Rohingyas, 15,774 Chins, and 33,002 other ethnic groups from conflict-affected areas or fleeing persecution in Myanmar, according to UNHCR data.

The remaining individuals are some 21,776 refugees and asylum-seekers from over 50 countries fleeing war and persecution, including Pakistanis, Yemenis, Somalis, Afghans, Syrians, Sri Lankans, Palestinians, Iraqis and others. Some 64,680 children are among the refugee population, UNHCR data shows.

Refugee Policies And Domestic Concerns

Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, and refugees are not allowed to work or receive an education, Reuters reported.

There has been a rise in online hate speech and misinformation targeting the Rohingya in recent weeks, with social media users accusing them of taking jobs and land away from Malaysians, according to Reuters.

The move to halt registrations would allow the UNHCR to focus on resettling refugees in third countries, if they cannot be repatriated to their home nations, Lukanisman said, adding that authorities would continue to engage and cooperate with the agency regularly.

The Malaysian office of UNHCR did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters reported. The agency has previously said on its website that Malaysia's refugee policies, including the DPP programme, "reflect an important step towards a structured, predictable, and nationally owned approach to protecting people forced to flee their country."

UNHCR has also said its work is "complementary to and in support of the state's protection and humanitarian responsibilities," according to Reuters.

Plans To Deport Myanmar Nationals

Lukanisman said plans were also underway to deport approximately 5,000 Myanmar nationals detained in the country's immigration detention centres by naval vessels, subject to Myanmar's agreement, Reuters reported.

In 2021, Malaysia deported more than 1,000 Myanmar nationals by ship, despite a court-ordered halt and rights groups saying the repatriation exercise had included asylum-seekers and UNHCR-registered refugees.

The military seized control of Myanmar in a coup in February 2021, plunging the country into civil war. Myanmar does not recognise the Rohingya as citizens.