SEBERANG JAYA: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is not sincere in its offer to share details of some 178,715 cardholders in the country for Covid-19 vaccination, the Home Ministry said.
Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said while it is good that the UNHCR is willing to share details of its cardholders in the country, it should not come with any condition.
"That is good (their willingness to share details of the UNHCR cardholders in the country).
"But if you give us any condition, then you are actually not sincere about it," he told newsmen after a visit to two flats here this morning to check out the high number of foreigners, particularly the Rohingya community, there following complaints by locals.
Present was Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud.
The UNHCR had reportedly said that it would share refugee details for the purpose of Covid-19 vaccinations, with the assurance that the refugees would not be arrested.
According to UNHCR public health official Dr Susheela Balasundaram, the UN body has asked the government not to arrest and detain refugees and asylum seekers, including those with an expired UNHCR document.
Last Saturday, Hamzah had requested the UNHCR to hand over the list and information on refugees in the country for Covid-19 vaccination.
At present, there are 178,715 UNHCR cardholders, but there is no further information on where they are located.
"If UNHCR can provide us with detailed information, it will facilitate the government's efforts to achieve herd immunity to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the country," he was quoted as saying.
Hamzah said the ministry had identified almost 2.5 million foreigners in the country who held various documents issued by the government or third parties such as UNHCR, including prisoners and Immigration detainees, for Covid-19 vaccination.
On his visit to the two flats this morning, Hamzah said he was here after receiving reports from locals that their lives had been "affected" due to the presence of the foreigners in their neighbourhood.
He said the locals claimed their lives were no longer the same after being "controlled" by these foreigners, who often behaved "arrogantly" and had little respect for the country's laws.
As such, he said the government was looking to come out with a policy which would allow the locals to enjoy a better quality of life, while the foreigners respect the laws of the land.
"I am not here to look for fault but to come out with an amicable solution. As such, I asked our people to be patient for now. I don't want people accusing us of being inhumane.
"My priority is to put Malaysians' interests first," he added.
Hamzah said he was sympathetic to the plight of the foreigners, having gone to the villages in Rakhine to understand the situation better.
He also said that the upcoming policy would ensure foreigners follow the law and they do not go around saying: "I have a UNHCR card".
"I am telling you that you cannot come out with that kind of statement as it just goes to show your arrogance.
"Also, what kind of enforcement is in place now? Take for example someone who is given the UNHCR card for a three year period. What happens when the three year period is up? Is there any enforcement to check? This is why we need to look for them and we need the list from the UNHCR," he added.
He said he would discuss with all the relevant stakeholders, including the Immigration Department, the police, the National Registration Department and others before coming out with any policy.
Asked if refugee camps were being considered, he noted that it was one of the suggestions given by the UNHCR to Malaysia.
"I am not so sure what kind of refugee camps. When we talk about that, we need to look at the reality, location, construction...all these needs to be considered before we announce any policy," he said.