TWO refugee interest groups have called on the home minister to delay the implementation of a new Government refugee tracking system, raising concerns about its impact on refugee rights and their safety.
Not mincing words, the Alliance of Chin Refugees and Beyond Borders said the Tracking Refugees Information System (TRIS) for United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) cardholders was “invasive, dehumanising and open to abuse”.
On Friday (July 22), the Cabinet approved the adoption of TRIS, a system for the Government to know the whereabouts of refugees, verify employment matters and “carry out other matters” related to refugees.
The decision comes after Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin’s repeated public criticism of UNCHR’s sole jurisidiction over refugee registration in Malaysia and what he claimed were “arbitrary” issuances of UNCHR refugee cards.
Since the Malaysian Government has always been “adamant” about tracking the whereabouts of refugees in the country, the Alliance of Chin Refugees and Beyond Borders said the TRIS announcement “doesn’t come as a shock”.
However, in a joint statement today, the two groups asked Hamzah to clarify what he meant by TRIS being used to “carry out other matters”.
“The protection of refugees has been fashioned out to be about securitisation,” they said. “Given the arrest and detention of refugees during Immigration Department raids as well, this (TRIS annoucement) is worrying.”
“No commitment”
The two groups claimed that Malaysia has yet to show “any commitment” towards recognising international laws or humanitarian principles governing the protection of refugees.
“As such, this system will only add to the risk factors refugees face in the country as they will become easy targets for arrests, detention and even deportation, despite Malaysia being bound by the non-refoulment principle.”
Under international human rights law, the principle of non-refoulment guarantees that no one should be returned to a country where they would face torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
The two groups also raised concerns about the use of TRIS “further controlling” the movement of refugees, who they said are already afraid of being stopped by the authorities when in transit.
“This (refugees’ movements being tracked through TRIS) will severely hamper their livelihood as well,” they added.
The two groups urged Hamzah to meet with refugee community leaders and civil society organisations to hear their concerns before proceeding further, noting his “hinting” of the system being compulsory.
They also expressed hope the Government would not use “punitive technology” to rob refugees of their right to seek asylum or live with dignity, seeing as refugees are one of the “most persecuted people globally”. – July 25, 2022
