KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia has firmly dismissed claims by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that the country is blocking access to its immigration detention depots.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Malaysia has never denied visit requests from the agency, adding that only two applications were received this year.
He said the perception that Malaysia is restricting access must be corrected.
“Yesterday, UNHCR — as reported by The New York Times — claimed we are not granting access to immigration depots. As far as I can recall, we only received two letters this year requesting visits.
“But it told the world that we blocked or did not allow it. So we need to manage this perception,” he said during the Home Ministry’s monthly assembly today.
Saifuddin was responding to a New York Times report quoting UNHCR as saying it has been barred from detention depots since 2019, preventing the agency from identifying refugees or assessing conditions.
He noted that in March, the ministry had already stated its readiness to allow UNHCR visits, subject to procedures that must be followed before access can be granted.
Separately, Saifuddin reminded the public to observe modest dress requirements when lodging police reports. However, he stressed that police must still accept reports regardless of attire.
“It is the duty of the police to receive reports. No matter the situation, the police have to take the report. There is a circular on dress codes for dealings with government offices, but it serves only as a guide,” he said.
He was commenting on a recent viral incident in which a woman was denied entry into the Melaka district police headquarters for allegedly breaching the dress code. The woman, who had been involved in an accident while travelling to Johor, was reportedly barred from filing a report because her skirt was above the knee. – December 11, 2025