KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Reuters) – Malaysia should reconsider whether to allow the U.N. refugee agency to operate in the country unless it imposes stricter controls on issuing refugee documents, state media cited the foreign minister as saying on Tuesday.
Minister Mohamad Hasan’s comments came a day after authorities detained more than 100 Rohingya asylum seekers who had gathered outside the agency’s premises in Kuala Lumpur to seek assistance after being evicted from their homes in Penang state.
He said the government, through the home ministry, was currently working to ensure that the screening process for refugees was carried out jointly by the UNHCR and local authorities when issuing documentation, according to state news agency Bernama.
“We want cooperation and strict screening. If they do not want to cooperate, in my opinion, it is time for us to reconsider the presence of UNHCR in the country so that we do not continue to be burdened,” Mohamad was quoted as saying.
The UNHCR office was attracting more refugees to Malaysia, including Rohingya Muslims, he said.
The UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the minister’s remarks.
The agency said in an earlier statement on Tuesday that it was working with authorities to protect the detained Rohingya and verify their documentation.
“These efforts contributed to their transfer to alternative accommodation, which is ongoing,” it said.
The detained Rohingya all possess valid UNHCR documentation and would be temporarily sheltered at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters pending further action by the refugee agency, Bernama reported on Tuesday, citing a top police official.
Muslim-majority Malaysia has long been seen as a safe haven for Rohingya fleeing persecution in the largely Buddhist Myanmar, but online hate speech and misinformation have exposed the group to greater harassment and scrutiny in recent months.
Though Malaysia is not a signatory to the U.N. refugee convention and regards asylum seekers as illegal migrants, around 126,000 Rohingya Muslims were registered with the UNHCR in the country as of the end of February, according to the agency’s website.
(Reporting by Danial Azhar; Editing by David Stanway)
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