refugees and asylum seekers in hosting communities; and improving mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence in Malaysia. In addition, vide the MoU, both the Commission and UNHCR will be able to share resources and data so as to have more accurate information and quicker response time, and to help in the formulation of better and workable solutions to the problems faced by refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons and people at risk of statelessness in Malaysia. The Commission applauds the efforts of the Immigration Department of Malaysia in screening and releasing immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers upon checking the authenticity of their UNHCR cards and in ensuring that these groups of people are not put in immigration detention centres. In addition, the government’s efforts in working with UNHCR to ensure that the UNHCR cards have proper security measures in place to avoid falsification is a step in the right direction in protecting the status of these vulnerable groups of peoples. Nevertheless, the Commission would like to highlight that the efforts by the government to ensure that these vulnerable groups are afforded their basic rights to work, education, health and housing are still inadequate.The Commission therefore, recommends that the government take a more holistic approach to ensure that these vulnerable groups of people are all afforded those basic rights. 7. ANTI-DEATH PENALTY In Malaysia, the death penalty is still implemented in the criminal justice system. Laws such as the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, Penal Code, Firearms Act 1971, Kidnapping Act 1961, Water Services Industry Act 2006 and Strategic Trade Act 2010 stipulate for the imposition of the death penalty for various offences, either for mandatory or discretionary death penalty. However, in 2012, there was a movement from the government to explore the possibility of abolition for drug trafficking offences, and the Commission greatly welcomed the announcement made by former de facto Law Minister, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz on the matter. Following the announcement, the Commission noted that the government continues to embark in undertaking comprehensive research on the issues of death penalty in Malaysia and further proposing the amendment to the Drug 24 S UH A KA M A N N UA L R E P O R T 2 0 1 7