Key facts
- Malaysia has requested the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to temporarily stop registering new refugees.
- The government aims to implement its own refugee registration program, the DPP, launched in January.
- Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 UN refugee convention, meaning refugees have no right to work or education.
- Approximately 215,600 refugees and asylum-seekers were registered with UNHCR in Malaysia as of February.
- Plans are underway to deport around 5,000 Myanmar nationals from immigration detention centers.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysia has formally requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to temporarily halt the registration of new refugees within the country. The decision, announced by Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni, is intended to facilitate the implementation of Malaysia's own domestic refugee management system, known as the DPP, which was launched in January.
Minister Sauni stated that the DPP would enable the Malaysian government to manage refugee data more systematically, including identity verification, monitoring, and regulation, without complete reliance on external records. This initiative comes amid concerns over rising online hate speech and misinformation targeting the Rohingya Muslim minority from Myanmar, who constitute over half of the refugees registered with UNHCR in Malaysia.
As of February, UNHCR had registered approximately 215,600 refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia. The country is not a signatory to the 1951 UN refugee convention, which means registered refugees are not permitted to work or pursue education. The suspension of new registrations is also seen as a measure to allow UNHCR to concentrate on resettling refugees in third countries, should repatriation to their homelands not be feasible. Malaysian authorities have indicated they will maintain regular engagement with UNHCR.
In parallel, Malaysian authorities are preparing to deport around 5,000 Myanmar nationals currently held in immigration detention centers, pending agreement from Myanmar. This follows a previous deportation of over 1,000 Myanmar nationals by ship in 2021, which rights groups criticized for allegedly including asylum-seekers and registered refugees.