In a statement, HRW said Malaysian authorities had not explained whether the system, known as DPP, meets basic international standards for handling refugee applications, including fair procedures, data protection, and the right to appeal.
“Malaysia’s new registration system lacks adequate safeguards for privacy and refugee rights, allowing increased surveillance and control of people who have been forced to flee their homelands,” said Shayna Bauchner, an Asia researcher at HRW.
“The Malaysian authorities should work with the UN refugee agency to improve procedures for asylum seekers.”
Implemented under National Security Council (MKN) Directive No 23, the DPP system replaces a UNHCR-run refugee registration system that the government deemed a security concern due to insufficient state involvement.
Mimos Bhd is developing the system and will collect biometric and personal data for a central refugee database.
Registration began on Jan 1 with Rohingya refugees in detention, and DPP cards allow them to stay in Malaysia while awaiting resettlement.
HRW also said the home ministry did not respond to a letter it sent on April 21 about the system. FMT has reached out to the ministry for comment.
The rights group urged the government to make MKN Directive No 23 public and suspend the DPP programme until a legal framework for refugee protection is in place.
“The principles of data protection require informing people about what personal data is collected, by whom, why, for how long it will be held, and what measures have been taken to keep it safe.
“Malaysia should make clear how its collection of biometric data will comply with these data protection safeguards,” HRW added, noting that this was not Malaysia’s first attempt at a government-run refugee registration system.
A previous initiative, the Tracking Refugees Information System, was launched in 2022 with similar promises, but HRW said refugees reported that registered cardholders were still arrested and deported.
Malaysia currently hosts over 210,000 refugees registered with UNHCR but has not signed the UN Refugee Convention. Refugees remain legally classified as irregular migrants under Malaysian law.