UNHCR cardholders must register with TRIS - Hamzah

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said only those who are registered with the TRIS system and have a special MyRC identity card can be considered to be given access to facilities provided by the government.

Hamzah said the facilities include public health services, education at registered alternative guidance centres, job opportunities and training, especially in the plantation, construction and manufacturing sectors.

He said apart from that, it can also make it easier for the government to efficiently monitor the whereabouts of special cardholders through the implementation of various new initiatives that will be introduced later.

"Although Malaysia has a firm stance of not recognising the refugee group, on humanitarian principles, the government still manages the group on a 'case-by-case basis'," he told reporters after conducting a survey at the TRIS Registration Centre in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, today.

Hamzah said the re-registration of UNHCR cardholders into the system will go through a more thorough profiling process using advanced technology that is equipped with high-security features and needs to be verified by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

On July 22, the government approved TRIS to be widely applied to all UNHCR cardholders in the country.

Hamzah on July 23, was reported as saying that the system was approved to ensure that all data of individuals holding UNHCR cards are re-registered with TRIS, to identify the whereabouts of refugees.

TRIS is a Malaysian database system, which relates to the status of UNHCR cardholders and asylum seekers in addition to updating the management and profile processes along with data collection, registration, profile storage, analysis and reporting processes for the Malaysian Government.