In vaccination drive, home ministry seeks refugee list from UN agency

 

There are more than 178,000 holders of the UNHCR refugee card in Malaysia, the home ministry says.

PUTRAJAYA: The home ministry has requested the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR for a list of refugees in the country and information about them so that they can be vaccinated against Covid-19.

Home minister Hamzah Zainudin said there are 178,715 holders of the UNHCR refugee card but the ministry has no further information on where they are located.

“If UNHCR can provide us with detailed information, it will facilitate the government’s effort to achieve herd immunity to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the country,” he said at a press briefing today.

Hamzah said the ministry has identified almost 2.5 million foreigners in the country who held various documents issued by the government or third parties such as UNHCR, including prisoners and immigration detainees, for Covid-19 vaccination.

He said he will work together with immunisation minister Khairy Jamaluddin to ensure that the foreigners receive their vaccination.

“Malaysians must understand that for the country to reach herd immunity, every foreigner in Malaysia must be vaccinated,” he said. Foreigners without valid documents who wish to return to their home country could do so through the Return Recalibration Programme, which was introduced last year, he said. - FMT