Kuala Lumpur:Refugees who entered Malaysia after January 2023 will not be eligible for the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme. This measure aims to prevent the programme from becoming a pull factor for new arrivals, announced Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the DPP programme is intended to cover only those refugees who entered the country on or before the specified cut-off date. Saifuddin emphasized during Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat that the government is addressing concerns about the programme potentially being exploited by syndicates for facilitating new refugee registrations.

The initiative targets compiling comprehensive profiles and building a database for an estimated 225,000 refugees in Malaysia, as reported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The current data from UNHCR lacks detailed information such as names, ages, and security profiles. The DPP programme addresses this by collecting personal details, conducting security screenings, and gathering biometric data.

The Home Ministry (KDN) plans to collect data on about 4,000 refugees at Immigration detention depots and another 2,000 outside these facilities this year, with a target of increasing this number to 20,000 next year. Currently, the ministry holds approximately 30,000 complete refugee records from an earlier phase, which includes names and employer details.

Saifuddin also addressed concerns raised by activists and NGOs taking independent actions against refugees, urging adherence to legal processes and reporting any issues through official channels. On the possibility of allowing registered refugees to work, he did not dismiss the potential use of security-screened refugee data to meet labor demands.

Additionally, he mentioned that Myanmar has agreed to accept the repatriation of its nationals from all ethnic groups during previous ASEAN bilateral negotiations, with Myanmar responsible for the associated costs.