UNHCR Card And DPP Holders Can Be Repatriated After Serving Sentence

PARIT BUNTAR: Valid UNHCR card holders or individuals registered under the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) remain subject to Malaysian law and can be repatriated after serving their sentence if convicted of an offence.

Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, said holders of these documents are not immune to the country’s laws, including for criminal offences and other offences not related to immigration.

“If he steals, he is wrong. If he drives a vehicle without a licence, he can be acted against,” he said at a press conference after the Launching Ceremony of the Corrective Community Programme for MADANI Adopted Villages and MADANI Adopted Schools of the Malaysian Prison Department 2026 at the Tanjung Piandang District and Land Office Hall here today.

Saifuddin Nasution said valid UNHCR card holders currently cannot be acted against under the Immigration Act for offences of overstaying or entering the country without documents.

However, he said the government is now implementing self-registration through the DPP to enable data and refugee status to be identified in more detail.

He said the process encompasses the collection of information such as name, address, age, gender, skills, as well as biometric data including fingerprints, facial recognition and iris recognition.

“When we go through all those processes, the Malaysian government, involving the Immigration Department, the Royal Malaysia Police and relevant agencies, will make a decision on whether the individual has refugee status or not,” he said.

Saifuddin Nasution said approximately 21,000 individuals are currently in immigration depots, including about 4,000 who have been identified as refugees, but their status still needs to be determined through the verification process.

He said for those with refugee status, three possibilities are open: being placed in a third country, being repatriated to their country of origin if conditions there return to peace, or being repatriated after serving their sentence if convicted of committing an offence in Malaysia.

Kosmo Online