Selangor has most Rohingya refugees nationwide, Dewan told

KUALA LUMPUR – Selangor harbours the largest number of Rohingya refugees over all states and territories, with 52,169 of them, followed by Kuala Lumpur, which has 27,667 refugees.

Jimmy Puah (Tebrau-PH) asked the home minister to provide the number of Rohingya people in Malaysia according to breakdown by states, and the latest update on their status in the country.

He also questioned Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on the ministry’s final plan to resolve the social issues surrounding the refugees here and the well-being of the local community.

In a written parliamentary reply, Saifuddin stated that the government does not have accurate information on the whereabouts of refugees and asylum seekers of Rohingya ethnicity in each state, but has been able to estimate the number of refugees and applicants from Myanmar.

He said that the Rohingya people make up 58% of the total number of refugees and asylum seekers registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The total number of refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur is 182,990 people. Of these 158,165 (86.43%) are from Myanmar, said Saifuddin.

The National Security Council (NSC) and Prime Minister’s Department (PMD) are responsible for managing the refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia through NSC’s Directive 23 which provides mechanisms for their management.

“The government has also heard recommendations from NSC and PMD regarding improvements to the NSC directive through a meeting of the high-level committee on the management of refugees and asylum seekers chaired by the prime minister,” he said.

Saifuddin also said that a meeting has been held between NSC, PND, Home Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry, and other related ministries and agencies to re-examine recommendations to improve the issue, especially in the aspects of national security and interests and the well-being of the local community. – The Vibes, March 23, 2023