UNHCR ASKED TO VERIFY STATUS FIRST BEFORE ISSUING REFUGEE CARDS

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 (Bernama) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) was Thursday urged to verify the actual status of people
seeking asylum in Malaysia before issuing them refugee cards.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said this was to prevent
indiscriminate issuing of refugee status which caused the country to be flooded
with foreigners.

"Actually, those eligible to receive the card are political refugees. But
the UNHCR likes to issue it to whoever asks for its help, including economic
refugees.

"My ministry hopes the UNHCR will evaluate the people seeking refugee status
before issuing the cards. We do not want crime and social problems to
proliferate here because of the actions of the UNHCR," he told reporters after
holding a meeting on the hiring of foreign workers for employers here.

Syed Hamid said this in commenting on the issue of illegal immigrants
flooding the country and the crime and social problems that arise as a result.

He also said the UNHCR often faulted the Home Ministry when the authorities
took action against UNHCR refugees who committed crimes or broke the country's
laws.

"I hope the UNHCR as professional body will act according to the UN Charter.

If there is a problem, its officers can bring it up with my ministry," he said.

Earlier, Syed Hamid said the ministry would hold more frequent meetings with
employers on the hiring of foreign labour.

He said he informed then that the freeze on the hiring of foreign workers
for the sub sectors of electrical, electronics and textile manufacturing and for
the service sub sectors like cargo handling, laundry services, hair salons,
goldsmith, retailing, hotel industry, spas and traditional massage and used
goods trading, would still be maintained.

He added that since last year, the government had sent back 311,000 foreign
workers out of the some two million in the country.

-- BERNAMA