The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) believes that the government will accord Burmese Rohingyas refugee status as announced earlier.

"I think this is just the matter of implementation and coordination. I cannot imagine it (the government) will be back tracking," said UNHCR commissioner Volker Turk when contacted.

On Monday, Home Minister Azmi Khalid said no final decision has been made on whether to recognise the displaced community as refugees.

This contradicted the earlier announcement by Minister in Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz that Rohingyas will be recognised as refugees.

Turk said he has yet to discuss the matter with Azmi, whose statement has caused much concern among the 10,000 or so Rohingyas in the country.

"I cannot only react based on media report because I have yet to see the minister (Azmi). What I understand about the issue is merely from Nazri," he added.

Different criteria

He also refuted Azmi's criticism that UNHCR was not helping the government in resettling the Rohingyas in third countries.

"UNHCR only selects refugees with special expertise and qualifications to send them to third countries, the rest they don't care and leave it to us," the minister had said.

Turk said 'this is incorrect' and hopes to explain to Azmi the real situation when he is allowed to meet the minister.

"The criteria used by UNHCR for resettlement is very different from the immigration. We cannot force the third country to accept refugees," he added

He said 500 and 600 refugees in Malaysia have been resettled last year and this year respectively to a third country.

"The number is expected to increase next year. We are working very hard on it," he added.

Malaysia has refused to recognise the status of refugees on the ground that it is not a party to the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees.

This poses a problem for UNHCR and human rights groups who rely on the authorities for a clear distinction between economic migrants and refugees.