Malaysian Home Ministry To Streamline Refugee Registration Method - Minister Saifuddin

KAJANG (Selangor, Malaysia), April 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Home Ministry will streamline the registration method for refugees under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said this is because the ministry does not have the actual number of refugees in Malaysia.

He said the matter can only be resolved if the UNHCR furnishes the precise number of refugees through their registration method.

He told reporters when met at the programme here, noting that the matter was also raised during his meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday to seek advice on the management of refugees in the country.

Meanwhile, when asked to confirm the rumour that the issuance of the UNHCR card for refugees and those seeking political asylum will be stopped, he clarified that the matter was totally under the jurisdiction of the UNHCR.

"As we are aware, the UNHCR has been in existence since the era of the Vietnam War and it has always been an entity under the United Nations (UN).

“The UNHCR in the country has two functions, namely managing refugee affairs and helping refugees who have been identified and screened to be resettled to third countries," he said.

-- BERNAMA