Adult detainees would be transferred in stages to the Special Segregation Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Bidor, Perak, where refugee status determination assessments are being conducted.
KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 632 children are among 4,010 immigration detainees registered under the first phase of the government’s Document Registration Programme for Refugees (DPP), the Home Ministry (KDN) said.
In a written parliamentary reply dated June 23, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution said the programme, which commenced on Jan 1, primarily involves Myanmar nationals of Rohingya ethnicity detained at Immigration depots across Peninsular Malaysia.
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He said those registered under the first phase comprised 4,008 Myanmar nationals, one Sudanese national and one Syrian national.
Of the total, 2,746 were adult men, 632 adult women, 392 boys and 240 girls.
Saifuddin said adult detainees would be transferred in stages to the Special Segregation Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Bidor, Perak, where refugee status determination assessments are being conducted.
The Bidor facility has an operational capacity of 400 detainees at any one time.
“As of May 31, a total of 101 detainees had been transferred to the Bidor centre, of whom 78 have been recognised as refugees under the DPP,” he said.
He added that the release of recognised refugees would be carried out by the Immigration Department in accordance with existing legal procedures.
The matter was raised by William Leong Jee Keen (PH-Selayang), who sought the latest statistics on refugees and asylum seekers registered under the programme.
Saifuddin said the second phase of the DPP would involve registering United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cardholders and individuals claiming refugee status who are currently outside Immigration detention facilities.
The second phase is expected to begin in the second half of this year and will be conducted at designated refugee status determination centres, which will be announced later.
“KDN targets the registration process for this group to be fully completed by Dec 31, 2029,” he said.
The DPP forms part of the government’s efforts to establish a more systematic framework for refugee registration using biometric data maintained by Malaysian authorities.
The programme has previously been described by the ministry as an initiative to improve the management and documentation of refugees and asylum seekers in the country, while clarifying that registration under the scheme does not confer permanent residency, citizenship or any automatic immigration status.
