Saifuddin: Claims Rohingya used Bangladeshi passports must be backed by evidence

KUALA LUMPUR: Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has declined to comment on claims that Rohingya entered Malaysia using Bangladeshi passports before obtaining refugee cards in the country.

He said such claims had to be supported by strong and clear evidence before he could respond, according to Utusan Malaysia.

"I do not want to respond to rumours or allegations.

"If there are strong arguments and clear evidence, only then can I respond. So far, the matter is not within my knowledge," he said after the National Surah al-Hujurat Discourse in Kulim yesterday.

He was asked to comment on claims that Rohingya refugees had entered Malaysia using Bangladeshi passports before registering with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Recently, a content creator uploaded a video of his visit to Bangladesh featuring a Rohingya man who claimed to have used a Bangladeshi passport to enter and leave Malaysia.

The man claimed in the interview that he had initially been in Malaysia without a valid passport or travel document before obtaining a Bangladeshi passport with the help of the embassy and the Immigration Department.

He also claimed that his parents, who live in Bangladesh, had helped him obtain the document.

In a separate development, Saifuddin left it to the authorities to complete investigations into allegations that Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain had assaulted two policemen.

He said the investigation papers, containing witness statements and other evidence gathered during the investigation, had been submitted to the Attorney-General's Chambers (A-GC).

"That is normal investigation procedure.

"At this stage, I have no comment, and I leave it to the relevant parties," he said.

Previously, the A-GC was reported to have returned the investigation papers on the incident involving Shuhaily to the police for further investigation.

Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar was reported to have said that several aspects of the investigation needed further examination before any action could be finalised.