KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 18 — A total of 191,832 refugees and asylum seekers were registered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Malaysia as of September this year.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said of the total, Myanmar accounted for the largest group with 168,813 individuals or 88 per cent, followed by Pakistan with 5,755 individuals (three per cent).

Yemen recorded 3,837 individuals (two per cent), while Afghanistan and Somalia each registered around 1,918 individuals (one per cent).

"Refugees and asylum seekers from other countries constitute five per cent of the total number of refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia,” she said in a written response uploaded on the Parliament’s website today.

She was responding to a question from Senator Rita Sarimah Patrick Insol, who asked the government to provide the number of refugees from various countries currently in Malaysia and outline plans to address the socioeconomic issues arising from their presence.

Dr Zaliha said that the government, through the National Security Council (NSC), was currently implementing NSC Directive Number 23: Policy and Mechanism for the Management of Refugees and Asylum Seekers (2023 revision), signed by the Prime Minister on June 14, 2023, to oversee and manage all matters related to refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia.

She said the directive encompassed mechanisms for managing refugees and asylum seekers, detailed procedures for determining refugee status by the government, enforcement of laws pertaining to refugees and asylum seekers, as well as social support system for these groups.

"Before the implementation mechanisms under this directive can be enforced, the government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, needs to develop a refugee registration system that will specifically be used to collect data on this group in Malaysia.

"This document aims to obtain data to manage refugees and asylum seekers in the country,” she said.

Dr Zaliha added that through the data collection, the government would be able to regulate and monitor the involvement and activities of refugees, thereby addressing the socioeconomic issues arising from their presence in Malaysia. — Bernama