KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 13): Refugees who entered Malaysia after January 2023 will not be eligible for consideration under the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme, to prevent it from becoming a pull factor for new arrivals, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

He said the programme would only cover existing refugees who had entered the country on or before the cut-off date.

“When we announced the DPP as a registration mechanism, we set January 2023 as the cut-off date. This means refugees who entered the country after January 2023 will not be considered under the DPP.

“We are processing those who are already here...it will not become a pull factor, as the Yang Berhormat mentioned, as we have already anticipated this issue,” he said during minister’s question time in the Dewan Rakyat here on Tuesday.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin (PN-Putrajaya) on how the government would ensure that the DPP programme was not exploited by syndicates to facilitate new registrations for incoming refugees.

Saifuddin Nasution said the measure was important to enable the authorities to focus on compiling comprehensive profiles and building a database of some 225,000 refugees reported to be in Malaysia by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

He said the existing UNHCR data comprised estimates without detailed information such as the individuals' names, ages, locations or security profiles.

Under the DPP programme, the Home Ministry (KDN) was conducting comprehensive data collection, including the registration of personal details, security screening by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) and the Immigration Department, as well as the collection of biometric data.

Saifuddin Nasution said this year's target was to collect data on about 4,000 refugees at Immigration detention depots under the first phase of the DPP, which began in January, and another 2,000 outside the depots. The target would be increased to 20,000 next year.

He said the data collection process was not taking place in a vacuum, as the ministry already held about 30,000 complete refugee records, including names and employer details, from an initial phase launched by the previous administration.

“We are now expanding the process to ensure that our data is credible. Reliable data will help us formulate public policies that are more practical and measurable,” he said.

Responding to a supplementary question from Jimmy Puah Wee Tse (PH-Tebrau) on actions taken by some activists and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) against refugees on their own initiative, Saifuddin Nasution urged all parties not to take matters into their own hands or act outside the law.

He said the government understood public concerns over the issue, but any allegations of document misuse or irregular entry by refugees should be reported through official channels.

On whether refugees registered under the DPP would be allowed to work, he said the government did not rule out the possibility of using data on registered refugees who had passed security screening to meet labour needs.

Meanwhile, he said the Myanmar government had agreed during previous bilateral negotiations under Asean mechanisms to accept the repatriation of its nationals from all ethnic groups, with Myanmar bearing the cost.

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