Malaysia: Malaysia's Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme does not guarantee refugees permanent residence in the country, as the management of refugees and asylum seekers will ultimately end in one of three outcomes, namely repatriation, resettlement in a third country, or deportation. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stated that the pilot programme, which officially began on Jan 1 this year, was implemented in line with National Security Council Directive No. 23 (Revised 2023) to ensure a more systematic, organised, and humanitarian approach to managing refugees and asylum seekers in the country.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the possible end results of the DPP programme remain three. Registration under the DPP and matching refugees with employers does not mean they can permanently settle in Malaysia. The end result will still be repatriation, third-country resettlement, or deportation, he told a press conference after a working visit to the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Special Detention Centre (PPKPPS) in Bidor. Also present were Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban and Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri.
The minister stated that the first phase of the DPP programme focuses on the Refugee Status Determination (RSD) process involving refugees, mainly Rohingya from Myanmar, currently detained at immigration depots nationwide. At the same time, Saifuddin noted that the Home Ministry (KDN) is leading the involvement of 20 ministries and government agencies in collecting personal information, biometric data, facial recognition, and voice recordings through a system developed by the Malaysia Institute of Microelectronic Systems (MIMOS) to establish a comprehensive domestic database.
The refugees come from various countries, but for the first phase, prioritisation is given to Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, who numbered 4,008 out of the total 4,010 individuals involved. The other two are a Sudanese and a Syrian. The database could also support future job-matching initiatives involving refugees aged between 20 and 40 to fill vacancies in five key economic sectors, namely manufacturing, construction, agriculture, plantations, and services.
The move is expected to help balance employers' labour needs with the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), which aims to reduce the ceiling for foreign workers to 10 percent, or a maximum of 1.7 million workers out of the country's estimated 17 million workforce. On developments at the Bidor detention centre, which has a capacity of 400 people, Saifuddin stated that 101 Rohingya detainees from Myanmar, comprising 100 men and one woman, are currently being housed there, with 78 already granted refugee status under the DPP programme.
He mentioned that the DPP programme is expected to be rolled out nationwide by early next month after all security-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been finalised by the authorities. By June 1, the programme will be rolled out for the group of 4,010 refugees. Since implementation began on Jan 1, the system and the screening questionnaires have been undergoing tests.