KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia may reconsider the presence of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the country if the agency refuses to cooperate in implementing a stricter screening process for refugee card applicants, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Mohamad said the continued operation of the UNHCR office in Malaysia was perceived as a “magnet” that could encourage more refugees, particularly from the Rohingya community, to enter the country, Bernama reported.
He said the government, through the Home Ministry, was currently working on a mechanism to ensure refugee screening was jointly conducted by UNHCR and Malaysian authorities before any refugee card was issued.
The matter, he added, was also discussed during a Cabinet Committee meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, where he called for the Host Country Agreement to be expedited to establish clearer guidelines and tighter controls over the issuance of UNHCR cards.
“We want cooperation and strict screening. If they do not want to cooperate, in my opinion, it is time for us to reconsider the presence of UNHCR in the country so that we do not continue to be burdened,” he said after observing the early voting process at Sendayan Air Base here today.
The comments came after reports that hundreds of Rohingya individuals had gathered outside the UNHCR office at Jalan Bukit Petaling in Kuala Lumpur before being moved to the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters (IPK) for documentation and identity verification.
Mohamad said one of the key issues requiring attention was the refugee card application process, which he claimed was too accessible, allowing individuals to apply online from their home countries before receiving the card after arriving in Malaysia.
“Right now there is no SOP (Standard Operating Procedure), they give it to them after doing it online… he is in Myanmar, he has done it online, he comes here to get the card directly. So we do not have screening, this is what we need to manage,” he said. – July 28, 2026