KUALA LUMPUR: Home Ministry believes that any kind of proof of identification for refugees and asylum seekers in the country must be issued by the government.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the current proof of identification documents held by asylum seekers were issued by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
"I don't want to blame them (the UNHCR), which has issued 120,000 cards to refugees and asylum seekers in the country. Come to think of it, shouldn't the cards (for refugees) be issued by the authorities here?
"We have identification documents (ID), which are issued to citizens. We have instances where if one is a permanent resident, their card is different. If a person has a passport and working in the country, we give them a permit.
"It is as though the cards issued by a third party are worth more than the (documents) issued by the (National) Registration Department," he said during a virtual special press conference here today.
Hamzah said there are those who have been staying in the country for up to 30 years despite having refugee status.
He said such categories of refugees or asylum seekers were supposed to be placed in the country temporarily before they were placed for resettlement.
He also said there were issues such as overstaying, and such matters needed to be discussed with the relevant entities to ensure they do not continue.
Hamzah, however, stressed that his ministry would not arrest individuals who possess the UNHCR card.
"If there are UNHCR cardholders, we will release them.
We will not do anything to victimise anyone in this country."
Hamzah also said it was unnecessary for UNHCR representatives to enter Immigration Department detention depots to verify whether those arrested were not asylum seekers and refugees.
Last year, Hamzah had said the government would study the presence of the UNHCR card holders in the country; and whether the practice of issuing UNHCR cards to foreigners without the approval of the Home Ministry, was allowed.
Malaysia is not party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. This means the country has no legal or administrative framework governing refugee status and rights in the country.
According to the UNCHR, as of March this year, there were reportedly 178,920 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia. A majority of them are from Myanmar.