Media Statement – 11/7/2026
Even With Malaysia’s Refugee Registration Document (DPP), A Refugee Is Still at Risk of Arrest, Detention, Whipping and Deportation Until the Law Recognizes It as Proof of Legal Presence in Malaysia
Immigration Act Must Recognize DPP As Document Permitting Legal Stay in Malaysia, And NEW Law on Refugee and Asylum Seeker Must Be Enacted to Legalize DPP Process and Recognition of Asylum Seeker and Refugee
Malaysia’s MADANI government must be applauded as Malaysia finally started its own asylum seeker and refugee assessment and recognition program on 1/1/2026 with the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme.
However, it is shocking that “Until June 2026, 128 Myanmar nationals of Rohingya ethnicity, comprising 127 adult men and one adult woman, were transferred to PPKPPS (Special Detention Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) Bidor, Perak… “Following the status determination process, 78 individuals comprising 77 men and one woman have been approved as refugees under the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme. The release process will only be carried out after all related procedures have been completed,” he (Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail) said. (Malay Mail, 9/7/2026)
The registration process must be expedited.
Need for Law to accord legal recognition for the Refugee Registration Document (DPP)
Malaysia, is home to more than 215,000 asylum seekers and refugees (not including those still being processed for recognition) (Malay Mail, 23/6/2026), and until the Immigration Act is amended or new laws enacted, noting that the present Malaysia's Immigration Act, treats foreigners as undocumented individuals or illegal immigrants unless they possess valid work permits, passes or visas recognized by law that allows them to be in Malaysia temporarily. If they are undocumented, they are at risk of arrest, detention and charged in court for illegally being in Malaysia, which on conviction, make them liable to a fine not exceeding ten thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to both, and shall also be liable to whipping of not more than six strokes. (Sec.6(3) Immigration Act 1959/63).
Sadly, to date the possession of DPP Passes or Cards has yet to be incorporated in law – thus the risk of asylum seekers and refugees even with DPP passes/cards would still being considered law breakers present illegally in Malaysia.
“According to Prisons Department records, 47,914 foreigners were found to have violated the Immigration Act from 2002 to 2008. Of these, 34,923 were caned or whipped.” No recent data found, and one wonders how many genuine asylum seekers and refugees were also whipped in Malaysia – and may still continue to be imprisoned and whipped unless laws are speedily amended/enacted to recognize asylum seekers and refugees as persons with rights to temporarily be in Malaysia.
MADPET (Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture) urges Malaysia to speedily amend the Immigration Act to recognize the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) as a valid pass or proof of legal presence in Malaysia, for we certainly do not want any more asylum seekers and refugees to still be arrested, detained or charged for illegally being in Malaysia.
Considering the process of registration may take time, MADPET also ask that those asylum seekers who are going to apply or have submitted their application for registration also be accorded protection too.
DPP Registration Process Must Be Expedited
Noting that in 6 months, Malaysia has only managed to process and give DPPs to just 78 individuals, MADPET urges that the process be expedited in the interest of justice, noting there maybe more than 200,000 asylum seekers and refugees in Malaysia.
MADPET (Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture) calls upon Malaysia to enacting a Refugee and Asylum Seeker law, that will also provide legal recognition for the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme.
Malaysia Assures No Repatriation – Compliance with The Principle of Non-Refoulement
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the programme will ultimately lead to only three possible outcomes: repatriation, third-country resettlement, or deportation for legal offenders… There are only three possible end outcomes in managing refugees and asylum seekers. "First, repatriation, which means sending them home once their country is safe and permits their return. Even if they are registered under the DPP, it does not mean they will remain here indefinitely. "Second, resettlement in a third country. International agencies such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) must continue fulfilling that role. The UNHCR exists to register refugees and secure third-country placements. "Third, deportation for those who violate laws and regulations. If they commit crimes and all due legal processes, convictions and appeals have been exhausted, they will be deported. (NST, 18/5/2026)
MADPET applauds Malaysian commitment to not send asylum seekers and refugees home until their country is safe and permits their return is consistent with the principle of non-refoulement. The principle of non-refoulement forms an essential protection under international human rights, refugee, humanitarian and customary law. It prohibits States from transferring or removing individuals from their jurisdiction or effective control when there are substantial grounds for believing that the person would be at risk of irreparable harm upon return, including persecution, torture, ill-treatment or other serious human rights violations.
Asylum Seekers and Refugees Need Income to Survive in Malaysia – Employment?
In the past, the UN through the UNHCR undertook to bear the cost of accommodation and upkeep of these asylum seekers and refugees until they are settled in a third country, but now that burden falls of the nation state accepting refugees, or directly on the asylum seekers and refugees themselves who are expected to find their own food or shelter.
Housing and feeding some 200,000 plus refugees and asylum seekers in PPKPPS (Special Detention Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) may be impossible at the moment, so it is best to consider employment for refugees so that they can earn and fend for themselves whilst living not in places of detention.
Thus, it was good to note that Malaysia is considering this – ‘…He[Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail] added that the programme also explored the possibility of matching approved refugees and asylum seekers with employers facing labour shortages in sectors such as manufacturing, plantations, agriculture and construction…’ . (NST, 18/5/2026)
MADPET proposes Malaysia to prioritize use asylum seekers and refugees, already in Malaysia, to overcome labour needs first before resorting to bringing in migrant workers from other countries. 2,132,578 active and legally employed foreign workers as of Oct 15, 2025 (NST, 3/11/2025).
About 28,000 Refugee Children That Need to Go to School
As of early 2026, there are approximately 215,600 registered refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia according to UNHCR, though women and children still account for more than half of the total population. Roughly 28,600 children fall into the primary or secondary school-going age brackets. There may be even more, being those who have yet to be registered by UNHCR.
MADPET calls on Malaysia to allow all these asylum seeker and refugee children should be allowed to continue their studies in Malaysian public schools or other schools as the Government deem appropriate. A child’s future is at RISK if he/she cannot receive or continue their education.
A refugee has been defined as someone who has fled their country of nationality and is unable or unwilling to return due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group – but for Malaysians, they are just HUMAN BEINGs that need our temporary assistance, and their CHILDREN should never lose out on the basic right to study in schools, more so since Malaysia has ratified United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
The speedy assessment and determination of asylum seeker or refugee status is CRUCIAL to prevent Malaysia from unknowingly further persecuting these persons, who has sought our temporary help. Hence, the importance in providing legal protection for asylum seekers and refugees through LAWS – temporary policies not recognized in law simply will not do.
Charles Hector
For and on behalf of MADPET (Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture)
Home minister says 78 Rohingya granted refugee status, 25 eligible for work under DPP pilot scheme
KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — A total of 78 Myanmar nationals of Rohingya ethnicity have been granted refugee status under Malaysia’s new Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme, with 25 of them identified as eligible for employment under a pilot work initiative.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail confirmed the figures in a written parliamentary reply yesterday, noting that these individuals were part of the programme’s first phase, which initially targeted detainees in Perak’s Immigration Detention Depots.
“Until June 2026, 128 Myanmar nationals of Rohingya ethnicity, comprising 127 adult men and one adult woman, were transferred to PPKPPS (Special Detention Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers) Bidor, Perak.
“Following the status determination process, 78 individuals comprising 77 men and one woman have been approved as refugees under the DPP programme. The release process will only be carried out after all related procedures have been completed,” he said.
The minister was responding to an inquiry from Seputeh MP Teresa Kok regarding the DPP programme’s progress, the number of refugees permitted to work, and the role of NGOs in the registration process.
Launched on January 1, the DPP programme establishes a formal mechanism to identify and manage migrants seeking temporary protection in Malaysia. The Home Ministry handles biometric collection, security screenings, and the verification of protection claims.
“The process involves migrants holding UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) documents as well as individuals who declare themselves as refugees.
“It is not limited to documentation alone, as each applicant must undergo the necessary screening and verification process before being recognised under the programme,” Saifuddin Nasution added.
Successful applicants receive a DPP card, which serves as the government-recognised identification for a temporary stay in Peninsular Malaysia.
During Phase 1, the ministry recorded 4,010 detainees, including 4,008 Myanmar nationals of Rohingya ethnicity, one Sudanese national, and one Syrian national. This group consists of 2,746 adult men, 632 adult women, 392 boys, and 240 girls. Transfers to PPKPPS Bidor are being managed gradually to accommodate the centre’s 400-person capacity.
Phase 2, which extends to UNHCR cardholders and refugee claimants currently outside detention facilities, is expected to launch in the second half of 2026.
“The registration process for this group will be conducted at refugee status determination centres that will be announced later.
“The ministry is targeting for the registration exercise to be fully completed by December 31, 2029,” he said.
Saifuddin Nasution further noted that the government is exploring employment opportunities for recognised refugees through the DPP Employment Programme. He clarified that the registration exercise remains entirely under the jurisdiction of the Immigration Department of Malaysia, with no involvement from NGOs. - Malay Mail, 9/7/2026
DPP registration will not grant refugees permanent residency in Malaysia, says Saifuddin
TAPAH: Refugees and asylum seekers registered under the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme will not be allowed to permanently settle in Malaysia, even if they are matched with employers.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the programme will ultimately lead to only three possible outcomes: repatriation, third-country resettlement, or deportation for legal offenders.
"I must emphasise this important point. There are only three possible end outcomes in managing refugees and asylum seekers.
"First, repatriation, which means sending them home once their country is safe and permits their return. Even if they are registered under the DPP, it does not mean they will remain here indefinitely.
"Second, resettlement in a third country. International agencies such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) must continue fulfilling that role. The UNHCR exists to register refugees and secure third-country placements.
"Third, deportation for those who violate laws and regulations. If they commit crimes and all due legal processes, convictions and appeals have been exhausted, they will be deported.
"So the DPP programme still leads to only these three outcomes. It does not mean that once they are registered under the DPP and matched with employers, they can permanently settle here," he said.
He said this during a working visit to the Special Refugee and Asylum Seeker Separation Centre in Bidor today.
Saifuddin said the programme, which officially began on Jan 1 this year, was introduced as part of a structured and humane approach to managing refugees and asylum seekers without compromising national security and sovereignty.
He said the ministry was leading the implementation of the programme involving 20 ministries and agencies to develop a government-managed database on refugees and asylum seekers in the country.
"The purpose of the DPP is for the government itself to maintain records. Previously, only the UNHCR kept records, while the government did not have detailed information on who they were or where they were located.
"Under the DPP, we collect biometrics, voice recordings, facial recognition data and detailed personal information to ensure more effective monitoring and management," he said.
He said phase one of the programme was currently focused on Rohingya migrants from Myanmar being held at immigration depots nationwide.
Authorities had identified 4,010 individuals under the category, comprising 4,008 Myanmar nationals, one Sudanese and one Syrian.
"At present, we have 101 Rohingya detainees here in Bidor, consisting of 100 adult men and one adult woman.
"Of that number, 78 have already been approved for refugee status under the DPP programme after undergoing strict screening and interview processes," he said.
Saifuddin said approved individuals would continue to be monitored by the Immigration Department under existing regulations and standard operating procedures.
He added that the programme also explored the possibility of matching approved refugees and asylum seekers with employers facing labour shortages in sectors such as manufacturing, plantations, agriculture and construction.
However, he added that security considerations remained paramount.
"We cannot compromise on the element of security. The interviews are strict and involve questions related to security and immigration.
"Each individual is thoroughly assessed before any approval is granted," he said, adding that several employers from Penang had already interviewed selected candidates under the pilot project.
He said employers viewed the initiative positively as it significantly reduced recruitment costs compared with conventional foreign worker hiring processes involving agents, visa applications and overseas recruitment expenses.
"At the same time, employers must comply with labour laws, including minimum wage requirements and providing decent accommodation," he said.
On concerns raised by the UNHCR regarding data protection and refugee rights under the DPP programme, Saifuddin said Malaysia will proceed with the initiative based on its own national interests and security requirements.
"They can say whatever they want. But we believe proceeding with the DPP fulfils the objectives we have outlined.
"The UNHCR should continue focusing on registering refugees and finding third countries willing to accept them. If more countries are willing to take them, that would be better for Malaysia," he said. - NST, 18/5/2026
No comments:
Post a Comment