Malaysia ensures food, water and legal assistance for 130 citizens detained in Pakistan over cyber-scam links

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 — The government is monitoring the welfare of 130 Malaysians detained by Pakistani authorities over suspected links to a cyber-scam syndicate, ensuring that they have access to food, water and legal assistance.

Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said Malaysian diplomatic representatives in every country were responsible for ensuring that Malaysians facing difficulties or detained by local authorities received appropriate attention, particularly in terms of their welfare and necessary assistance.

“So far, all 130 individuals who were arrested have been confirmed to be in good health. They have been provided with food and drinks, and we have also offered guidance on the legal avenues available to them,” he said.

He said this when winding up the committee-stage debate on the Supply (Budget) Bill 2027 and a motion on the ministry’s 2027 Development Expenditure Estimates in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. 

Lukanisman said that of the 130 individuals, 63 were from Sabah, 55 from Sarawak, five from Johor, three from Kuala Lumpur, two from Selangor, and one each from Penang and Kelantan.

Previously, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) confirmed that 130 Malaysians had been detained by Pakistani authorities in Rawalpindi over their alleged involvement in a cybercrime syndicate.

Yesterday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Malaysia and Pakistan were discussing the coordination of follow-up actions concerning the detention of the Malaysians, who are suspected of involvement in online fraud activities in the country.

Meanwhile, Lukanisman said the government was in the final stages of preparing the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) card to register refugees under a module developed by Malaysia, in line with the government’s position that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) should cease its refugee registration activities.

He said the transition needed to be carried out in an orderly manner, taking into account the large number of registration applications yet to be processed by the UNHCR, as well as the need to account for refugees already listed in the commission’s existing records.

“Our policy is for the UNHCR to halt all registration activities. However, we acknowledge that monitoring of its existing processes may not yet be sufficiently stringent as we are still in the process of finalising the implementation of the DPP to register refugees under the module introduced by the Malaysian government,” he said.

According to him, the DPP initiative demonstrated Malaysia’s ability to register refugees independently, although expanding the programme on a larger scale remained a challenge due to manpower constraints.

He said that from January until now, the government had managed to register only about 147 refugees because of the shortage of personnel to carry out the process.

Lukanisman said the government was also urging the UNHCR to expedite the resettlement of refugees to third countries, although the current volatile geopolitical situation had resulted in many countries tightening their borders and becoming less receptive to refugees.

The Dewan Rakyat subsequently passed the Foreign Ministry’s 2027 operating and development expenditure estimates, totalling RM1,212,144,700, by a majority voice vote following a debate involving 12 Members of Parliament.

The sitting will resume today. — Bernama