Malaysia Does Not Deny UNCHR Access to Immigration Depots - Saifuddin

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia strongly rejected the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) claim that the country is blocking access to its immigration detention depots.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Malaysia has never denied any visit requests, insisting that only two visit requests have been received this year.

He said the perception that the country is blocking access must be corrected.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), UNHCR, as reported by The New York Times, said that we are not granting access to immigration depots. As far as I can recall, we have only received two letters this year in which UNHCR requested to visit the depots.

“But it told the world that we blocked or did not allow it. So we need to manage this perception,” he said when addressing the Home Ministry’s monthly assembly on Thursday.

He was responding to a New York Times report quoting UNHCR as saying that it has been barred from visiting detention depots since 2019, hindering its ability to identify refugees and assess conditions at the facilities.

Last March, Saifuddin reportedly said that the Home Ministry was prepared to allow UNHCR to visit immigration detention depots, but noted that several procedures would need to be followed before such visits could proceed.

-- BERNAMA