KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — The current capacity of the Malaysian Immigration Department’s detention depots is still sufficient to accommodate undocumented migrants detained following enforcement operations nationwide, said its director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban.
The department manages 21 depots with a total capacity of over 21,000 people and currently has about 500 vacant spaces, in addition to daily deportation processes that ensure space remains available.
"Every day there are deportations, about 200 to 300 people. There are also arrests every day. So, this figure will fluctuate, but we ensure the depots always have capacity," he said during a press conference at the Immigration Department Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (WPKL) Deepavali Celebration ceremony today.
Zakaria added that the largest composition of detainees in the depots is Myanmar nationals, numbering 8,884 people, including 5,102 ethnic Rohingya, followed by Filipinos (4,727) and Indonesians (3,838).
The department is also preparing the necessary isolation and logistics centres before the implementation of the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) for refugees, which is expected to begin as early as January 2026.
"Currently, we rely on data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where we cannot ascertain whether the data released is accurate or not, and our observation suggests the number (of refugees) is likely more than what has been reported to us.
"So the government has decided to conduct a re-registration of all refugees, including the Rohingya, and we already have the subsequent direction after this registration...the Minister of Home Affairs or the Prime Minister himself may make an announcement on the way forward," he said.
Separately, Zakaria said that 60 Immigration officers have been dismissed for various offences, including corruption, while 301 others have faced action, including departmental transfers and suspensions for disciplinary cases from 2022 until this year.
Meanwhile, commenting on the recent boat capsize incident involving ethnic Rohingya in Kedah, he said they are assisting with documentation and verification of the victims' nationalities, while the police are carrying out investigations into potential criminal aspects and human smuggling.
"Some of the individuals found alive did not possess any documents, necessitating the Immigration Department to obtain confirmation of their country of origin before further action can be taken," Zakaria said.
