However, he expressed fears that some Rohingya militants would take advantage of Malaysia’s goodwill to enter the country.
As of today, 56,000 Rohingya refugees have been issued with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards that give them the freedom to stay in the country.
“We also have to be cautious. Although we are willing to accept Rohingya refugees on humanitarian grounds, but the huge number can be worrying to us as there is the possibility that some may be sympathisers of the militants who are active in their country.
“Since 2015, there has been no reports similar to the discovery of mass graves like in Wang Kelian, at the time when ships from Myanmar were said to have been stranded and landed on Malaysian beaches.
“However with the current situation in Myanmar, we expect there’ll be refugees (coming again),” he told reporters after the launch of the “#kitapulai Mini Carnival” here today.
As such, Nur Jazlan said the Home Ministry and UNHCR were in the midst of obtaining the actual number of Rohingya refugees in the country.
“It is to register them and to determine that they are genuine refugees and not militants or economic migrants,” he added.