Govt compiling refugee data through registration programme

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is collecting data on refugee communities nationwide through the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the first phase focused on those held at immigration depots.

He said the programme was expected to enter its second phase soon, covering holders of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards outside the depots.

"The purpose of this data collection is to enable the government to manage, coordinate and monitor the temporary presence of this group in the country before they are resettled in a third country or return to their countries of origin," he said in a written parliamentary reply yesterday.

Zahid was responding to Mohd Sany Hamzan (PH-Hulu Langat), who asked about the government's stance on international institutions operating in Malaysia, including UNHCR, which had allegedly failed to cooperate as expected and refused to share refugee data.

Zahid said international organisations provided an important platform for cooperation and expertise-sharing to address cross-border issues that countries could not tackle alone.

He said they also helped strengthen Malaysia's capacity and ease the burden of managing humanitarian issues.

"At present, the government also needs UNHCR to facilitate the resettlement of refugees in third countries, as those countries use UNHCR cards to verify refugees and confirm their status," he said.