KUALA LUMPUR: The Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme is targeting 20,000 registrations next year as the government becomes more proficient in the process, the Dewan Rakyat heard today.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the programme was targeting about 6,000 registrations this year, comprising 4,010 refugees held at immigration detention depots and another 2,000 outside the depots.
The first phase, which began in January, focused on refugees in detention depots, who would be interviewed by the police and Immigration Department before their status was determined.
Saifuddin said the government was prioritising those held at immigration depots as it lacked detailed information on the 225,000 refugees identified by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), including their identities, addresses and security backgrounds.
"We don't know their names, where they are, how old they are, and we certainly don't know their addresses. Let alone having done any security vetting. We know absolutely nothing, we only have the figure.
"So when the DPP carries out its process, we look at those inside our detention depots. These are the low-hanging fruit," he said in response to a question from Jimmy Puah Wee Tse (PH-Tebrau).
Saifuddin said the government had set a cut-off date to prevent the programme from becoming a pull factor that could encourage more refugees to enter Malaysia in the hope of being registered.
"When we announced the DPP as a registration mechanism in March 2023, we set our cut-off date to January 2023.
"Anyone who enters after that will not be given the opportunity to be considered under the DPP," he said.
He said the government was managing the existing refugee population to address the risk of the programme attracting more arrivals.
"Certainly, that could happen. So, we have pre-empted that issue first by managing the 225,000."
He said the DPP built on an earlier registration exercise that had already collected data on about 30,000 refugees, including their full names and employment details.
He said the government was expanding the database to improve the credibility of its data, which would support more measurable and effective public policies.
Earlier, Saifuddin said Phase One of the DPP primarily involved Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers, particularly those from the Rohingya community held at immigration detention depots in Peninsular Malaysia.
A total of 4,010 people had been registered under the first phase, he said in June.
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