PETALING JAYA: Malaysians have been urged not to take the law into their own hands when dealing with Rohingya refugees, with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail stressing that enforcement must remain the responsibility of legally authorised agencies.
He said members of the public who suspected refugees of committing offences or engaging in activities that disturbed local communities should report the matter to the police or relevant enforcement authorities rather than taking action themselves.
“The best way to maintain order in a country is to leave enforcement to those with the proper authority.
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“In other words, avoid taking action on your own,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Saifuddin was responding to concerns raised by Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah Wee Tse over videos circulating on social media showing individuals and groups allegedly confronting Rohingya refugees, demanding to see their UNHCR cards and questioning their right to live or operate businesses in Malaysia.
Puah questioned whether such actions amounted to individuals exercising enforcement powers without legal authority, describing some of the confrontations as aggressive.
Saifuddin said he understood the frustration expressed by certain communities over the presence of refugees and acknowledged the activities of groups seeking to highlight the issue.
“We appreciate their efforts because they reflect the unease among sections of society over the presence of these refugees.
“However, from the government’s perspective, everything must be carried out according to the law,” he said.
He also referred to allegations circulating online that some individuals had entered Malaysia using foreign passports before obtaining refugee documentation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Saifuddin stressed that these claims remained allegations and should be referred to the authorities for proper investigation.
He said refugee status determination was conducted by UNHCR, while the government was developing its own registration system to establish a more reliable database of refugees in the country.
The proposed system would include identity verification, biometric data collection and security screening to support enforcement efforts and public policy decisions.