NO foreigners with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card have been evicted from their homes following a Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) ruling that bars undocumented migrants from renting lodgings in the city.

Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa refuted claims by migrant rights group Tenaganita and others that 700 Rohingya refugees have lost their accommodation due to the new rule, saying he has no knowledge of the matter.

“If Tenaganita has the data, that would be good. I would like to know who they are and which landlords are involved, because that’s not within our jurisdiction,” he told the press at Menara DBKL today.

“The ones who were caught were only undocumented migrants. There’s no such thing as refugees being evicted.”

Tenaganita last week said it has received complaints from refugees seeking shelter after they were forced out of their rented homes.

Annuar said foreigners with the UNHCR card will not be affected by the DBKL ruling, adding that the Immigration Department does not go after refugees.

His deputy, Edmund Santhara, said DBKL is only warning landlords against renting out to undocumented migrants, in accordance with the Immigration Act.

“This ruling is under the Immigration Act. It doesn’t allow migrants without legal documents to rent homes, or give them protection.”

He said the Immigration Department has the right to arrest and detain illegals.

The refugees said to have been kicked out of their homes may have had personal issues with their landlords, and this is beyond the scope of DBKL’s authority, he added.

Besides Tenaganita, Beyond Borders founder Mahi Ramakhrisnan and refugee rights advocate Hanif Mahfa, too, have raised concerns about the issue.

Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh brought up the matter in the Dewan Rakyat today, in a supplementary question to Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rina Harun, who was speaking on homelessness in the federal capital.

Rina said her ministry is discussing with the Home and Foreign Ministries various matters affecting refugees, but did not answer Yeoh’s specific query on the purported evictions.

Deputy Speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon then told lawmakers to move on to the next question. – July 15, 2020.