Malaysia granted refugee status in June 2026 to 78 Rohingya detainees held at the Special Detention Centre for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (PPKPPS) in Bidor, Perak. The group includes 77 adult men and one adult woman, officials said [1, 2, 3]. Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said, "Following the status determination process, 78 individuals comprising 77 men and one woman have been approved as refugees under the DPP programme. The release process will only be carried out after all related procedures have been completed" [2].
The 78 individuals are part of Phase 1 of the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme launched on January 1, 2026, targeting immigration detainees in Peninsular Malaysia detention depots, mostly Myanmar nationals of Rohingya ethnicity [1, 2]. In total, 4,010 detainees were recorded under Phase 1, including 4,008 from Myanmar, one Sudanese and one Syrian, with a breakdown of 2,746 adult men, 632 adult women, 392 boys, and 240 girls [1, 2, 3].
As of June 2026, 128 Myanmar Rohingya detainees (127 men, one woman) had been transferred to PPKPPS Bidor, which has an operational capacity of 400 detainees, to undergo the Refugee Status Determination (PSP) process [1, 2, 3]. Of these, the 78 approved refugees represent those who have completed the determination, with the remainder still undergoing evaluation [1, 2, 3].
Home Minister Saifuddin noted the implementation of a pilot DPP Employment Programme involving the 78 approved refugees. "Of this number, 25 individuals have been identified as eligible for employment," he said [3]. He also confirmed that the refugee registration is handled exclusively by the Refugee Registration Task Force under the Immigration Department without NGO involvement [1].
Phase 2 of the DPP programme is planned to begin in the second half of 2026. It will involve registering UNHCR cardholders and self-proclaimed refugees outside detention, with registration conducted at refugee status determination centres to be announced later [1, 3]. The Home Ministry aims to complete Phase 2 registration by December 31, 2029 [1, 3].
