Factors in favour of a refugee registration system

 A well-designed system with safeguards and community consultation will introduce predictability and reduce systemic fear.

From Husson Ahmad

Malaysia hosts one of the largest refugee populations in Southeast Asia, despite not being a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 protocol. As of May 2025, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports 211,260 refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia, including 124,123 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, the largest refugee group in the country.

The Rohingya presence in Malaysia spans decades. Many families have built their lives here and contribute socially and economically. Yet refugees remain legally invisible under Malaysian law and are categorised as undocumented migrants, leaving them vulnerable to arrest, detention, exploitation and exclusion.

Malaysia’s refugee management has largely relied on immigration enforcement. Raids and short-term detention operate more as control mechanisms than as part of a structured protection framework. Logistically, this has never been a sustainable long-term solution.

Immigration detention centres can accommodate only a small fraction of the refugee population at any time. Detention has therefore been selective rather than comprehensive. This challenges the claim that refugee registration data would enable mass detention or systematic deportation.

If the infrastructure and resources existed to detain over 200,000 refugees, it would already be happening. Registration does not create enforcement capacity; it organises information that largely already exists.

In practice, detention functions as a deterrent rather than a durable solution. Refugees are detained temporarily, released and sometimes re-arrested without resolving root causes such as statelessness or lack of safe return. The result is prolonged uncertainty.

Significant policy shift

Within this context, the refugee registration document system marks a significant policy shift. Announced by the home ministry and started in January 2026, it is a government-led biometric registration system aimed at creating a centralised refugee database.

Some civil society actors have raised concerns about surveillance, data misuse and deportation risks. Vigilance is necessary. However, the assumption that invisibility equals protection overlooks operational realities. Refugees, particularly Rohingya, are already highly visible. They live in urban communities and work in construction, agriculture, cleaning and food services. Registration does not expose a hidden population; it formalises an existing one.

From a community perspective, the absence of structure has often been more harmful than the risk of documentation. Reliance on UNHCR registration alone has left many newly arrived refugees undocumented for extended periods due to capacity constraints. During this time, individuals cannot prove their identities, access services or reduce the risk of arrest.

A systematically implemented system reduces these vulnerabilities by providing faster access to documentation. While documentation does not grant formal refugee status under Malaysian law, it can serve as a practical risk-reduction tool. It may reduce prolonged detention during raids, shift responses toward administrative handling and limit arbitrary treatment.

Keeping families together

Identity verification is another key dimension. The Rohingya identity has at times been misused by individuals from other backgrounds, contributing to public confusion and resentment. A verified biometric system would clarify identities and reduce collective blame. When data is unclear, stereotypes thrive. When identities are verified, accountability improves.

Employment remains critical. Refugees already participate in the labour market, largely in informal sectors where exploitation is common. Lack of documentation increases vulnerability and fear. While the DPP may not immediately confer work rights, documentation would support structured employment arrangements and improve economic stability.

Family unity is also a pressing concern. Current processes for registering marriages, births, and dependents through UNHCR are often slow. A national registration mechanism would streamline family records, reduce delays, and minimise risks of separation.

Over time, structured registration would document refugees’ length of stay, work history and contributions to Malaysian society. Evidence-based policymaking requires reliable data. Refugees are frequently portrayed as burdens, yet their contributions remain insufficiently acknowledged.

Different realities

It is important to recognise that refugee communities face different realities. For Rohingya refugees, displacement is protracted and prospects for return or resettlement remain limited. In such contexts, administrative stability becomes essential.

This does not mean protection concerns should be dismissed. Safeguards are crucial. Any DPP system must include strong data protection standards, limits on enforcement use, transparency and accountability mechanisms. The central question is not whether registration should exist, but how it is governed.

Protection should not be equated with invisibility. In Malaysia’s context, invisibility has often meant exploitation and instability. A well-designed DPP, implemented with safeguards and community consultation, would introduce predictability and reduce systemic fear.

For Rohingya refugees, systematic registration may represent not a threat, but an opportunity to be recognised as individuals who exist, contribute and belong within the realities of Malaysian society, even without formal legal status. - FMT

 Husson Ahmad is a Rohingya community advocate and Founder of the Rohingya Youths Support Network, a refugee-led organisation.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT