Home Ministry says 199 index crimes linked to Myanmar refugees, Selangor highest with 58 cases

Detainees are seen at an Immigration Detention Centre in Bandar Baharu, Kedah on April 20, 2022. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

First Published: Friday, 16 Oct 2026 9:48 AM MYT

Last Modified: Friday, 16 Oct 2026 9:50 AM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 — Selangor recorded the highest number of index crime cases involving Rohingya refugees, with 58 cases reported from 2022 to August 2026, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN).

In a written reply published on Parliament’s website, KDN said Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) statistics showed that 199 index crime cases involving Rohingya refugees were recorded nationwide during the period.

Of the total, 52 cases were recorded in 2022, followed by 43 in 2023, 37 in 2024, 29 in 2025 and 38 from January to August 2026, the ministry said.

Kedah recorded the second-highest number of cases, at 26, followed by Johor (24), Kuala Lumpur (22), Penang, Pahang and Kelantan (13 each), Perak and Terengganu (12 each), Melaka (four) and Negeri Sembilan (two).

KDN said National Security Council (MKN) Directive No. 23 provides the framework for managing refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, setting out guidelines and the respective roles of ministries and enforcement agencies to safeguard national security.

“The government is also strengthening control and monitoring of refugee communities, including the Rohingya, through the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) Programme, which began on Jan 1, 2026.

“The programme aims to strengthen the centralised management of refugee data and reduce reliance on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),” the ministry said.

KDN said 4,010 detainees held at immigration depots across Peninsular Malaysia had been registered under Phase One of the programme, comprising 4,008 Myanmar nationals and one each from Sudan and Syria.

“Adults will be relocated in stages to the Special Isolation Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Bidor, Perak, which has a capacity of 400 people,” the ministry added.

The reply was in response to a question from Datuk Adnan Abu Hassan (BN-Kuala Pilah) on the number of criminal cases involving Rohingya refugees in each state and measures taken by the government to strengthen the registration and monitoring of the community to safeguard public safety and order.

Responding to a question from Datuk Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu) on the number of UNHCR card fraud cases recorded in Malaysia and the action taken against those responsible, KDN said 159,232 undocumented migrants were arrested during 53,318 enforcement operations conducted by the Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM) nationwide from January 2025 to August 2026.

It said the operations also involved the screening of 659,191 individuals, while action was taken against 6,099 employers found to have hired or harboured undocumented migrants without valid authorisation.

On UNHCR card forgery, KDN said the PDRM Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) had recorded only one such case to date.

“The case, which occurred in Kuala Lumpur, involved six Myanmar nationals, all of whom have since been charged in court,” the ministry said. — Bernama