Some 69,000 associations registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) may be deregistered for failure to submit their annual reports within the required period.

Home Ministry deputy secretary-general (registration and immigration) Alwi Ibrahim said there were associations which refuse to comply with this requirement.

He hopes that the enforcement of Section 14 (1) of the Societies Act 1966 will create awareness among the associations on the need to submit their annual reports on time.

He was speaking to reporters after attending an annual ROS event in Putrajaya today.

ROS director-general Abdul Rahman Othman was reported as saying that among the reasons why associations did not turn in their annual reports on time was time-consuming translation.

Associations which failed submit annual reports within three years will be given a reminder and deregistered if they continued to ignore the notice.

- Bernama