Malaysia's foreign minister, Mohamad Hasan, has called for a reconsideration of the United Nations refugee agency's (UNHCR) presence in the country unless it enforces stricter controls on issuing refugee documents. This statement, reported by state media on Tuesday, came a day after Malaysian authorities detained more than 100 Rohingya asylum seekers who had gathered outside the UNHCR premises in Kuala Lumpur seeking assistance after eviction from their homes in Penang.

Hasan noted that the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs is working to ensure that refugee screening is conducted jointly by the UNHCR and local authorities when issuing documentation. He also criticized the UNHCR office in Malaysia for allowing individuals to apply online from their home countries and receive refugee cards upon arrival, a process he said attracts more refugees.

Rights group Amnesty International expressed concern over the detentions, stating, “Malaysia cannot build a credible refugee protection system while simultaneously treating refugees as people to be rounded up, detained, and removed.”

The situation unfolds amid broader regional challenges, including a recent landslide in Bangladesh that killed eight Rohingya children at a school and reports of over 500 feared dead after boats capsized off Myanmar.

Sources