UNHCR Urges Malaysia to Issue Biometric Identity Cards to Rohingya Refugees

Mikhail Esteves Under CC BY 2.0

The Malaysia representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has suggested that biometric identity cards be issued to Rohingya refugees arriving from Myanmar.

Some 150,000 Rohingya, who are not recognised by the Myanmar government as a separate ethnic group and suffer discrimination in regards to accessing jobs and public services, have already arrived in Malaysia.

Unregistered Rohingya refugees in Malaysia are estimated to number in the thousands and are are at risk of falling prey to human traffickers, the authorities believe, creating a stronger case to put identification procedures in place.

UNHCR aims to use biometric cards for reliable identification to track involvement in public services or criminal activity.

A pilot project on biometric identity cards has also been carried out successfully by UNHCR in assisting refugees with no legal recognition to work in Dzaleka refugee camp, Malawi.

To see the latest biometrics and other security technology in action register for IFSEC Southeast Asia 2015, which takes place in Kuala Lumpur from 2-4 September. Click here to visit the event website for more information.

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