LARUT: The issuance of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards to Rohingya refugees in the country will be reviewed, says Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
The Home Minister said a study had to be done following the escape of hundreds of Rohingya detainees from the Sungai Bakap immigration detention depot near Bandar Baharu, Kedah, on Wednesday.“We cannot provide space for them to easily enter the country without documents and immediately get UNHCR cards.
“It’s not right … that’s why we take a firm stance – being a card holder doesn’t mean they can live in our country and enter as they like,” he told reporters after handing over donations to 1,000 underprivileged people from Larut parliamentary constituency at Dewan Astaka Batu Kurau here yesterday, Bernama reported.
In the 4.30am incident on Wednesday, 528 Rohingya detainees escaped from the depot following a riot.
During the escape, six detainees, including two children, were killed on the south-bound side of the North-South Expressway when they tried to cross the highway near Jawi.
In Alor Setar, Kedah police chief Comm Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad said the police were still tracking down the remaining 80 Rohingya escapees.
“As of Friday night, 65 men, eight women and seven girls are still at large,” he said.
“So far, 448 Rohingya detainees have been found – they comprise 229 men, 89 women, 69 boys and 61 girls,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Comm Wan Hassan said currently, there were 15 people at the depot and documentation work was being conducted to transfer them to other detention depots.