Home Ministry starts refugee checks as Malaysia prepares to send back 5,000 Myanmar nationals
BUKIT KAYU HITAM, July 30 — The Home Ministry (KDN) has begun identifying, documenting and screening Rohingya refugees as part of preparations to repatriate 5,000 Myanmar nationals after the Myanmar government agreed to accept the return of its citizens currently in Malaysia.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the process was being carried out through the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) in line with National Security Council (MKN) Directive No. 23, with KDN leading the effort alongside relevant regulatory agencies.
He said the DPP process involved several stages, including tracing, identification, security screening and determining the status of each individual before confirmation documents were issued.
“Screening will be conducted by the police (PDRM) and the Immigration Department of Malaysia. At the end of the process, individuals will receive a decision on their refugee status and documents will be issued to confirm their status,” he told a press conference today.
Earlier, he attended the Drug-Free Aspiration Tour: Healthy Felda Community, Prosperous Kedah, Programme officiated by Kedah Raja Muda Tengku Sarafudin Badlishah Sultan Sallehuddin at Felda Bukit Tangga here.
Saifuddin Nasution said Malaysia and Myanmar had initially agreed on the return of 5,000 people, but the individuals involved must first be identified and screened to ensure they meet the required criteria.
He said there were currently about 22,000 detainees at 19 immigration depots nationwide, including around 4,000 Myanmar nationals who had been identified for the process.
“These 4,000 people will undergo screening and be placed at one depot instead of being spread across 19 depots, to facilitate the process,” he said.
He said the relocation to a designated depot would help streamline documentation, security checks and coordination among the agencies involved.
Saifuddin Nasution said the process was already underway and no longer at the planning stage, while discussions with the Myanmar government after completion of the process would be coordinated by the Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra).
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Myanmar had agreed to accept the return of 5,000 Rohingya refugees in Malaysia following negotiations between the two countries.
