CNI News

23 August 2022

In applying for UNHCR refugee cards in Malaysia, Myanmar nationals receive fewer cards than other nationals, Director-General U Nyi Nyi Lwin of the Center for Arakan Refugees told the CNI.

Moreover, authorities in Malaysia have stepped up operations against illegal migrant workers, Myanmar nationals should be careful not to lose the data given to UNHCR officials in applying for the cards, he warned.

U Nyi Nyi Lwin said, “The number of UNHCR cards issued for Myanmar nationals is very few. The UNHCR rarely issues refugee cards for Myanmar nationals. It has something to do with the policies of Malaysia and capabilities of the UNHCR and its staff because there are so many Myanmar nationals in Malaysia. Authorities hold prejudice against Myanmar refugees because they think many Myanmar refugees are scum. So, Myanmar refugees should print out the receipt of the application form from the UNHCR. If someone can show the receipt of the application from, most authorities do not detain him or her. So, it is important not to lose the document and to hold community cards. Respective communities are issuing registration cards. It is also vital to communicate well with authorities. They should also be careful with their dress and behaviour.  All of these are important.”

A UNHCR refugee card holder.

There are more than 40,000 Rakhine migrants in Malaysia and about 6,000 of them have UNHCR cards. Most of the card holders received the cards during previous years.

As Malaysian authorities have been rounding up illegal migrants since July, there are more than 1,000 Rakhine migrants among those who were detained in Malaysia while those who are still at large are worried about their future, according to the CAR.

Myanmar migrants in Malaysia.

U Nyi Nyi Lwin said, “They face many difficulties. As soon as they were detained, they lost contact with families and friends. So, their families could not know anything about them and they could ask for help from their families for two weeks. As no one knew the police stations and prisons where they were detained and the date on which they were officially charged at the court, their families and organizations offering assistance for them had difficulty hiring lawyers to defend them. As a result, some of them could contact their families and organizations when they were sent to prisons or when they were sent to immigration detention centres after serving prison terms.”

Currently, the UNHCR is accepting applications for refugees from its website, many migrants still do not know how to apply for the cards online and it takes a long time waiting for interviews.

Anyone who wants to apply for the refugee cards cannot do so in person and has to complete their personal data at the website of UNHCR Malaysia.