At a press conference following his visit to the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) vaccination centre today, the science, technology and innovation minister, who is in charge of vaccinations, said he will meet with Hamzah to discuss the issue.

He added that the science, technology and innovation ministry will soon be submitting a joint paper with the home ministry on “how to approach a vaccination programme for undocumented migrants.”

Yesterday, Hamzah said the ministry would step up enforcement activities against undocumented migrants, particularly at entry hotspots.

Khairy had, on a number of occasions, mentioned that migrants are included in the vaccination process and assured them that they would not be arrested should they come forward to receive their vaccine.

Hamzah’s comments have come under scrutiny with rights groups saying that going after undocumented migrants in a pandemic would only worsen the existing health crisis, with many clusters forming as a result of crowded detention facilities.

“After the various Covid-19 clusters emerging from prisons and detention centres throughout Malaysia last year, the government should be well aware that a large-scale incarceration will only result in increasing the number of Covid-19 cases,” Lawyers for Liberty coordinator Zaid Malek said today.

In addition, North-South Initiative executive director Adrian Pereira said Hamzah’s comments could dissuade migrants from getting vaccinated.

“The government says they won’t arrest migrants if they come out to be vaccinated, but then they say things like this. It erodes trust and discourages undocumented people from cooperating and getting their jabs.”

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