Up to 8,000 Rohingya were previously resettled abroad each year, says IGP

PETALING JAYA: Between 7,000 and 8,000 Rohingya refugees were previously resettled to third countries each year through government-to-government (G2G) arrangements, says Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail.

However, he said the process had since stalled because of constraints faced by the countries involved.

Khalid said Malaysia had accepted Rohingya refugees on humanitarian grounds as their displacement stemmed from political and security conditions in Myanmar.

“Malaysia has G2G arrangements with several countries that allow Rohingya refugees to be temporarily accommodated before being resettled in third countries that require their labour or services.

“In recent years, the resettlement process has faced several constraints, resulting in a halt in their movement to third countries and giving rise to various issues that require the attention of all parties,” Bernama reported him as saying in Ipoh today.

Khalid said Malaysia continues to take humanitarian considerations into account while safeguarding national security.

“Everyone who comes to this country must comply with our laws and regulations. They are subject to our laws and action will be taken if they commit offences, just as it would be against anyone else in the country,” he said.

He said about 215,000 Rohingya are registered with the UNHCR, while local authorities also maintain records of them in cooperation with the immigration department to facilitate monitoring.

Despite Khalid’s statement on refugee numbers, the UNHCR website says the total refugee population in Malaysia registered with the agency numbers about 215,600. It says that some 193,824 are from Myanmar, of whom 126,144 are Rohingya.

Khalid said Rohingya involvement in crime remained low, with 89 linked to criminal cases between 2024 and this year, representing 0.02% of all crime cases recorded nationwide.

He urged the public not to make statements that could affect public order and safety, stressing that enforcement action would be taken against anyone who broke the law regardless of nationality.

On Saturday, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the low rate of third-country resettlement by UNHCR was among the reasons refugees, including Rohingya, remained within local communities for extended periods.