KUALA LUMPUR, October 16 2026, Selangor recorded the highest number of index crime cases involving Rohingya refugees, with 58 cases reported from 2022 to August 2026, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN).
In a written parliamentary reply, the ministry said Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) data showed that 199 such cases were recorded nationwide during the period.
Annual figures showed 52 cases in 2022, 43 in 2023, 37 in 2024, 29 in 2025 and 38 between January and August 2026.
Kedah ranked second with 26 cases, followed by Johor with 24 and Kuala Lumpur with 22. Penang, Pahang and Kelantan each recorded 13 cases, while Perak and Terengganu reported 12 cases apiece. Melaka registered four cases and Negeri Sembilan recorded two.
KDN said the management of refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia is guided by National Security Council (MKN) Directive No. 23, which outlines the roles and responsibilities of relevant ministries and enforcement agencies in maintaining national security.
The government is also enhancing refugee registration and monitoring through the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) Programme, which began on Jan 1, 2026. The initiative is intended to centralise refugee records and reduce dependence on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Under the programme’s first phase, 4,010 detainees at immigration depots in Peninsular Malaysia had been registered. They comprised 4,008 Myanmar nationals, one Sudanese national and one Syrian national.
The ministry said adult detainees would be transferred gradually to the Special Isolation Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Bidor, Perak, which can accommodate up to 400 people.
The information was provided in response to a question from Datuk Adnan Abu Hassan (BN-Kuala Pilah) on crime statistics involving Rohingya refugees and measures to improve registration and monitoring to safeguard public order.
Separately, KDN reported that 159,232 undocumented migrants were arrested during 53,318 enforcement operations conducted by the Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM) nationwide between January 2025 and August 2026.
During the operations, authorities screened 659,191 individuals and took action against 6,099 employers suspected of employing or sheltering undocumented migrants without valid authorisation.
The ministry also confirmed that the PDRM Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) had recorded one case involving the forgery of UNHCR cards. The case, reported in Kuala Lumpur, involved six Myanmar nationals who have since been charged in court.
The disclosure was made in response to a separate parliamentary question from Datuk Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu) concerning fraudulent UNHCR cards.
-BERNAMA
