Managing refugees is govt’s role, says UNHCR
PETALING JAYA: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) has welcomed Malaysia’s interest in managing refugees, saying that such a role is usually assumed by the government in other countries. It was responding to recent comments from Putrajaya that it would rather manage refugees on its own as UNHCR’s…
PETALING JAYA: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) has welcomed Malaysia’s interest in managing refugees, saying that such a role is usually assumed by the government in other countries.
It was responding to recent comments from Putrajaya that it would rather manage refugees on its own as UNHCR’s presence had led to more asylum seekers entering the country, with repatriation to their countries of origin or third countries at a “very low” level.
A spokesman for UNHCR said it was forced to assume the role of managing refugees because Malaysia lacked a national asylum framework.
“As discussed with the Malaysian government, UNHCR remains committed to supporting a meaningful and gradual transition of this responsibility to the local authorities, based on the country’s capacity and expertise to take on refugee management in line with international protection principles.
“We welcome Malaysia’s continued interest in establishing a national framework to manage the situation in the country that may eventually result in the government assuming greater responsibility,” the spokesman told FMT in an email.
UNHCR said it takes years for a government to build a comprehensive national system of refugee processing.
“The positive news is that the Malaysian government has already begun to take some early steps in this regard.
“We welcome the good progress made in positive engagements that involve multiple ministries and agencies on practical issues around refugee protection,” the spokesman said.
UNHCR said for a number of years, it has hosted ministries and government agencies, including top officials, to observe how they did their work.
It said it also engaged the government through a joint task force with the foreign ministry for several years in discussing cooperation to manage refugees.
Last month, the National Security Council (NSC) suggested shutting down the UNHCR office in Malaysia to allow Putrajaya to manage refugees in the country without foreign interference.
At a recent parliamentary sitting, special functions minister Abd Latiff Ahmad confirmed that such a transition was in the works.
There were some 183,430 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR Malaysia as of last month, including 48,010 children.
The UNHCR Malaysia website states that about 157,910 people are from Myanmar, comprising 105,870 Rohingyas, 23,190 Chins and 28,840 other ethnic groups from conflict-affected areas or fleeing persecution in Myanmar.
The remaining 25,510 are refugees and asylum seekers from 50 countries fleeing war and persecution. — Free Malaysia Today