Foreign Minister Mohamad says Malaysia may reconsider UNHCR if it refuses strict refugee screening cooperation.
SEREMBAN: Malaysia should reconsider the presence of UNHCR in the country if the international body refuses to cooperate. The foreign minister said a strict screening process for refugee card applicants is necessary.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the current existence of the UNHCR office is seen as a magnet. It attracts more refugees, especially the Rohingya ethnic group, to Malaysia.
In this regard, he said the government through the Home Ministry (KDN) is working on a mechanism. It ensures the screening process is carried out jointly by UNHCR and local authorities before any refugee card is issued.
He said the matter was also raised in the Cabinet Committee meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Mohamad requested that the Host Country Agreement be expedited to set guidelines and stricter controls on the issuance of UNHCR cards.
“We want cooperation and strict screening. If they do not want to cooperate, in my opinion, it is time for us to reconsider the presence of UNHCR in the country so that we do not continue to be burdened,” he said after reviewing the early voting process at the Sendayan Air Base, here today.
Yesterday, the media reported that hundreds of ethnic Rohingya were camped out in front of the UNHCR office at Jalan Bukit Petaling in Kuala Lumpur. They were later transferred to the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters (IPK) for documentation and identity verification.
Commenting further, Mohamad said that among the issues that needed to be addressed was the refugee card application process. He claimed it was too easy to the point of allowing individuals to apply online from their country of origin before obtaining the card upon arrival in Malaysia.
“Right now there is no SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), they give it to them after doing it online… he is in Myanmar, he has done it online, he comes here to get the card directly. So we do not have screening, this is what we need to manage,” he said.
