Malaysia willing to accept Rohingya refugees - Nur Jazlan

Malaysia is willing to accept more Rohingya refugees into the country following the increasingly tense situation in Myanmar, said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed.

However, he expressed fear of Rohingya militants taking advantage of Malaysia's goodwill to enter the country.

As of today, 56,000 Rohingya refugees have been issued with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card which gives freedom for them to stay in the country.

"We also have to be cautious. Although we are willing to accept the Rohingya refugees on humanitarian grounds, but the huge number can be worrying to us on the possibility that some of them may be sympathisers of the militants who are active in their country.

"The incident which led to the discovery of a grave in Wang Kelian in 2015, at that time ships from Myanmar were said to be stranded and landed on Malaysian beaches, but after 2015, there was no more report, but with the current situation in Myanmar, we expect there'll be refugees (coming again)," he told reporters after the launch of the "#kitapulai Mini Carnival" here today.

As such, Nur Jazlan said the Home Ministry and UNHCR were now tracing the refugees to obtain the actual number of those who had entered the country.

"It is to register them and to determine that they are genuine refugees and not militants or economic migrants," he added.

-- BERNAMA