MKN DG Wants To Shut Down UNHCR's Malaysian Office
Their plan is for MKN and other local enforcement agencies to manage the refugees without foreign interference.
The closure of the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) office is said to improve refugee management without foreign intervention, according to the National Security Council (MKN)
National Security Council (MKN) Director-General Datuk Rodzi Md Saad stated that his team is investigating the appropriate mechanism to ensure that the execution of this idea is stable and orderly before recommending the proposal to the government, reported Harian Metro.
"The implementation time is still subject to the preparation and successful execution of the mechanism that we are currently managing," Rodzi was quoted as saying yesterday, 6 September at the National Security Policy Literacy Programme 2021-2022.
Image via Free Malaysia Today
Due to MKN's functions needing to be improved, UNHCR's closure is unlikely to take place anytime soon
"As long as we feel like we cannot form a good management for the mechanism, we will not implement the idea," he added.
Rodzi also stated that the closure of UNHCR offices in Kuala Lumpur, Johor, and the country's northern regions would be the result of a number of factors, with the issuance of UNHCR cards being a major one.
Rodzi claims that undocumented migrants are drawn to the country because they can easily receive protection from the UN agency
Image via New Straits Times
He added that with UN's existence in the country, it's easier for migrants to obtain the UNHCR card without going through the police and the Immigration Department.
"This decision is not fair for us (Malaysians). When UNHCR doesn't consult our authorities first, it's as if they do not respect our country," he said.
He emphasised that the country must manage its own refugees, and they will be managed by MKN in collaboration with other enforcement agencies in accordance with their respective roles.
Last year, the Immigration Department had come under fire for uploading a poster telling Rohingya migrants they are not welcomed here:
Meanwhile, meet Arissa Jemaima, a 25-year-old founder of a medical non-profit that seeks to bridge the gap that many marginalised communities in Malaysia face with medical care:
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