Refugee 6P Registration

[Taang Sianpu]

The Star (Malaysia) – Working for refuge rights
7 November 2011

Reports by WANI MUTHIAH, LEE YEN MUN, WONG PEK MEI and FARAH FAZANNA ZULZAHA

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will undertake a joint exercise for the first time with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to register refugees and asylum seekers to ensure better protection for them.

The move, expected to take off in January, involves some 94,800 refugees and asylum-seekers whose status is already confirmed by the UNHCR in Malaysia.

The inclusion of their biodata within a government database is expected to lead to greater protection for the refugees, said UNHCR representative Alan Vernon, particularly against arrest and detention as their identities could then be easily verified by law enforcement officials.

“This will also help prevent prosecution of persons holding UNHCR documents for immigration offences or deportation. It will also help address the problem of fraudulent UNHCR identification cards,” Vernon said in a statement yesterday.

The exercise will be carried out progressively in major cities where the refugees are located.

The effort involves the Home and Foreign ministries, the Immigration Department, the National Security Council and the UNHCR.

  

Data from the refugee agency shows that most of the refugees registered with the UNHCR here are from Myanmar, numbering 87,000 persons or about 90% of the total asylum-seeker population in the country.

Others who have sought refuge in Malaysia are Sri Lankans (4,200), Somalis (1,000), Iraqis (720) and Afghans (440).

The data, last updated in September, shows that some 71% of refugees and asylum-seekers are men. Children also make up a significant part of the refugee community, numbering 19,200.

However, a large number of asylum-seekers are believed to be unregistered.

Vernon said the exercise would be separate from the Home Ministry’s ongoing 6P programme involving illegal immigrants.

The six-step programme, which comprises registration, legalisation, amnesty, supervision, enforcement and deportation has seen – as of last week – a total of 25,561 illegal immigrants being granted amnesty and leaving the country.

“While Malaysia is not yet a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, UNHCR very much appreciates the cooperation we enjoy with the Malaysian Government and look forward to continuing discussions on how to strengthen refugee protection in Malaysia, including creating opportunities for legal work for refugees as well as enhanced access to education and health services,” Vernon added.

The issue came to surface recently after the Malaysia-Australia refugee swap deal was shelved last month.
The majority of lawmakers in Australia were against legislation that would have enabled Australia to send 800 new boat arrivals to Malaysia in return for Australia resettling 4,000 registered refugees from Kuala Lumpur.

[ZIRC]

Khutme Mek Ding Vai

 

November 4, 2011 ni-in UNHCR leh leh gambeel  makaite Chinese Assembly Hall ah nitak nai 2:00- 4:00pm kikal hunin meeting kinei hi.  UNHCRMalaysia ah a lianpen pa Allan Vernon in 6P Program tawh kisai pulaakna hong nei hi. Hong genna ah 6P Program i cih pen Malaysia aa om gambeelte tawh kisaina omlo-in, a pianna gam nusia-in Malaysia gam ah a lal (migrant) 2.3 million te adingin  kumpi’ geelsaknate ahi hi. (P1)A lalte min  sazin lakna(registration), (P2) gam ah omtheihna hun val (overstay) aa a omte hehpihna, (P3) phalna omlo pi aa  a omte hehpihna (illegal presence), (P4) kumpi phalna nuai-ah  nasep theih nading (legalization for work), (P5)  laibu tawilote mat nading (to arrest undocumented), (P6) gam sungah a simtham aa omte (illegal migrants) mat nading cih bangin a banbanin  sep toh dingin kumpi geelna 6P Program ahi hi. Malay kumpi’ muhna ah gambeelte pen bang mah tawi (undocumented) lo-in  Malaysia gam ah a lalte tawh kilamdanna omlo-in hong mu uh hi. Hih muhna hangin, Malaysia gam ah a lalte tawh laidal kibang zang khawmin min  sazin leh khutmete hong la  aa, kilinglawng hi. Tua ahih manin, UNHCR in Malay kumpi tawh thu kikupna nei aa,  gambeelte 6P

Program tawh kimemat lo-in, gambeel mahin sang aa, min  sazin leh khutme maite hong lakkik  nading kithukim ta uh hi. Putrajaya Immigration Office  ah  a meksate’ khutmemate kisuphiat ding aa, a thak in mek phat kul ding hi. Mek thak na ah “Pulang Ke Negara Asal” –pianna gam ah ciah kik cih kammal kihel nawnlo ding hi. Tua hi aa, theihlohna hangin nasepna panin pute in lahwahkah (immigration) te tawh khutme hong meksakte in zong na mek thak  kik ding uh ahi hi. Khutme mek kik ding hun pen kitelcian nailo hi.

A manlang pen leh January 2012 lam ah hi pan ding hi. A kipat teh KL leh Selangor pua lam panin kimeksak masa ding hi. Gambeelte’ khutme mekna pen Malay  gam ah a lalte’ 6P Program tawh kisailo i cihsa bangin i khutme mekna pen kumpi  in bang min pia ding cih khensat nailo lai hi. Khutme mek ciangin UNHCR card tawi khinsate in a tawi nailo i innkuanpihte tawh kimek khawm thei ding hi. Card tawi nailo-in kipawlna card bek a tawi pante zong kimek sak ding aa, ahi zongin a hun ding kitel nailo hi. Telbeh nop a om leh phone leh email panin kidong thei hi. (ZIM Awging)