Malaysian foreign minister calls for review of UNHCR’s presence

The UN refugee agency is under pressure to impose stricter controls amid rising local backlash against Rohingya.Published On 28 Jul 202628 Jul 2026Malaysia’s foreign minister says the country should reconsider whether to allow the United Nations refugee agency to operate unless it imposes stricter controls on issuing refugee documents. The comments from Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, reported by state media on Tuesday, came a day after Malaysian authorities detained more than 100 Rohingya asylum seekers who had gathered outside the UNHCR premises in Kuala Lumpur to seek assistance after being evicted from their homes in the state of Penang.Hasan added that the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs was working to ensure that the screening process for refugees was carried out jointly by the UNHCR and local authorities when issuing documentation.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3UN discusses prevention of genocide: Six times it failed to do just thatlist 2 of 3Eight killed as landslide hits Rohingya school in Bangladeshlist 3 of 3More than 500 feared dead after reports of boats capsizing off Myanmarend of list“We want cooperation and strict screening. If they do not want to ...