UNHCR in discussion with govt on refugee issues

 

A Rohingya refugee standing outside a wholesale market in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. There are 103,810 Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. - NSTP/SAIFULLIZAN TAMADI

KUALA LUMPUR: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is in close discussions with the government on issues related to refugees, including exploring areas of closer cooperation and joint registration process.

A UNHCR spokesman here said these were carried out through the government-initiated Joint Task Force, and high-level officials from the relevant ministries and agencies were able to observe its processes and the way refugee status determination was conducted.

"These discussions have intensified since 2019, in particular, with the most recent meeting having been held in November 2021. The UNHCR looks forward to continuing this positive dialogue with the government," he told the New Straits Times.

He said UNHCR cards were issued each month for many reasons, including new registrations, renewals of expired cards and changes in family composition.

Generally, he said, the card issued to persons who were verified to be refugees and in need of international protection was valid for up to three years before the refugees were expected to come to the UNHCR office to renew their documents.

He said a person, however, remained a refugee for as long as he needed international protection and faced imminent risks to his freedom or lives in his country of origin and was not an economic migrant.

He said the UNHCR's Refugee Status Determination process involved a thorough interview and investigative procedure measured against international refugee criteria established by the United Nations and its member states, including Malaysia.

"The UNHCR meets regularly with representatives of community groups both informally and at formal meetings for the exchange of information to understand the challenges faced by refugees in terms of protection and welfare assistance. This engagement takes place throughout the year, not only when the refugees come to the UNHCR office for document renewal."

Up to end of last month, he said, there were 182,120 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia.

Of these, 156,110 are from Myanmar, comprising 103,810 Rohingya, 22,700 Chins and 29,600 people from other ethnic groups from conflict-affected areas or fleeing persecution in the country.

"The remaining are 26,000 refugees and asylum seekers from 50 countries fleeing war and persecution."

He added that 67 per cent of the refugees and asylum seekers were men, and 33 per cent were women, with around 45,800 children aged below 18.

Meanwhile, Dr Teo Sue Ann, the executive research officer of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals, reiterated calls for better treatment of refugees, saying it was time for the government to address the real issues instead of sweeping them under the carpet.

"These refugees are not able to seek employment to sustain themselves, and many are left without proper education and health assistance.

"They are not criminals, to begin with, and should not be treated as illegal immigrants. This is what many of us don't understand."

She said the UNHCR had been playing a key role in monitoring and ensuring the wellbeing of the refugees who arrived in Malaysia. She also said its database on refugees in the country was useful and could be used to assist the government in managing them better.

Teo said while Malaysia was not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocols, it could still do more to provide assistance and protection to refugees on humanitarian grounds, including education and health.

Recently, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin was reported as saying that the government would review the issuance of UNHCR cards to Rohingya refugees in the country. - NST