It is now easier to verify refugee identity cards issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
A report by The Star Online’s Rashvinjeet S. Bedi says that newly-unveiled refugee cards can be verified with a smartphone and this can be done with any Android or iPhone via the Secure Quick Response (SQR) code.
These cards — valid from one to three years — also have 3D holograms and bar codes, among other enhanced security features, and are supported by ‘enhanced biometric data collection’ the news site reported.
These security features come as a welcome buffer, with recent news reports highlighting cases of syndicates that issue fake UNHCR cards to refugees heading into the country, escalating the number of foreign immigrants entering the country.
Figures as of August last year show 153,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, including those from Sri Lanka, Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Palestine.
In March, Malaysia and theUNHCR agrees to work together to overcome the problem of fake cards and syndicates.
