The new cards will be enhanced with bio-metric and radio frequency identification (RFID) features, said UNHCR representative to Malaysia, Richard Towle today.
This would make the cards harder to duplicate.
“We know the authentic cards from the fake ones. The upgraded cards will only be given to those who need protection.
“It is not for those seeking economic gains from other countries,” he said at the UNHCR expert roundtable discussion here today.
According to Towle, the enhanced cards will benefit the government in three ways – to get the latest head count on the number of genuine refugees in Malaysia, help control criminal or human trafficking activities and provide refugees with proper identification.
With proper documentation, Towle said the government could then look into allowing refugees to work in Malaysia.
He said that many Malaysian employers had approached UNHCR to hire refugees to work for them, but it was not possible as under current laws, hiring a refugee is against the law.
“Refugees want a second chance in life. They want to work,” he said.
Up to April this year, over 150,000 refugees and asylum-seekers were documented in the country – the majority of them from countries like Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Syria and Iraq, just to name a few.
In March, media reports highlighted the existence of fake UNHCR cards.