KUALA LUMPUR: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) welcomes the government's commitment to granting it access to immigration detention facilities.
The UNHCR spokesman in Malaysia said it look forward to resuming work in accessing the detention facilities and helping those in need.
"We stand ready to build on the constructive engagement and support from the government of Malaysia on issues related to refugee protection and solutions.
"We are committed in our cooperation with the government to find ways to better manage the refugee situation and provide access to asylum for those in need of international protection," the spokesman said in a statement to the 'New Straits Times'.
Previously, the UNHCR said, it had not been able to get approval from the Immigration authorities to access detention centres since August 2019.
Last week, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the ministry had no problem with allowing UNHCR staff to visit detainees at Immigration detention depots.
He said the ministry had good working ties with the UNCHR.
The UNCHR spokesman said: "The UNHCR views positively the statement by Saifuddin regarding the high level of cooperation and engagement between the UNHCR and the Malaysian government.
"Through the government-initiated joint task force, which is co-chaired by the Foreign Ministry and the UNHCR, we have been in discussions for many years on a framework of cooperation for managing the refugee situation.
"This includes data sharing, joint registration with the government, screening of asylum seekers and access to legal work."