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Malaysia Begins Repatriation of Myanmar Asylum Seekers Amid Controversy
Confirmed
In Short: Malaysia has begun the process of repatriating around 5,000 asylum seekers from Myanmar, including Rohingyas, under a controversial agreement with Myanmar's military ruler, Min Aung Hlaing. The first phase involves the repatriation of 1,476 individuals.
According to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, these returnees will include Rohingyas, a persecuted Muslim minority who have sought sanctuary in Malaysia after being driven out of Myanmar. Anwar says he is responding to growing public hostility towards the Rohingya population in Malaysia.
Three ships from the Myanmar navy are scheduled to leave Malaysia later today carrying the first 1,476 returnees. The Malaysian government has described the repatriation as voluntary, but has barred the UN refugee agency from seeing or screening the returnees, who have been kept in detention centers.
Human rights groups have condemned the repatriation, saying the returnees face violence, persecution, and forced conscription into the Myanmar army. The UNHCR has said current conditions in Myanmar do not support the safe and sustainable return of refugees.
The repatriation is part of a broader plan agreed with Myanmar that could see the return of as many as 5,000 people. Malaysia has tightened immigration enforcement in recent years amid rising local hostility against refugees, particularly ethnic Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar.
The sentiment among Malaysians started to shift during the pandemic, which hit the country's economy hard. Shortly thereafter, an online petition calling for Rohingyas to be kicked out of Malaysia received more than 400,000 signatures before being taken down.
Malaysia has refused to recognize Min Aung Hlaing's regime and has been one of the strongest voices in Southeast Asia pushing for a negotiated end to Myanmar's civil war. However, Anwar said he would invite Myanmar’s military chief-turned-President Min Aung Hlaing for an official visit in return for accepting the Rohingya refugees.
James Bawi Thang Bik, who represents refugees from Myanmar’s Chin community in Malaysia, said he was aware of several asylum-seekers among those being deported, including a UNHCR card holder, citing information gathered by community leaders.
The deportation is the first phase of a broader plan agreed with Myanmar that could see the return of as many as 5,000 people. According to UN figures, the group includes 126,144 from the Rohingya community, 15,774 Chin, and 33,002 people from other minority ethnic groups.
What this adds
The repatriation is the first phase of a broader plan agreed with Myanmar that could see the return of as many as 5,000 people.
What's confirmed
- According to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, these returnees will include Rohingyas, a persecuted Muslim minority who have sought sanctuary in Malaysia after being driven out of Myanmar. Anwar says he is responding to growing public hostility towards the Rohingya population in Malaysia.
- Three ships from the Myanmar navy are scheduled to leave Malaysia later today carrying the first 1,476 returnees. The Malaysian government has described the repatriation as voluntary, but has barred the UN refugee agency from seeing or screening the returnees, who have been kept in detention centers.
- Human rights groups have condemned the repatriation, saying the returnees face violence, persecution, and forced conscription into the Myanmar army. The UNHCR has said current conditions in Myanmar do not support the safe and sustainable return of refugees.
- The repatriation is part of a broader plan agreed with Myanmar that could see the return of as many as 5,000 people. Malaysia has tightened immigration enforcement in recent years amid rising local hostility against refugees, particularly ethnic Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar.
- The sentiment among Malaysians started to shift during the pandemic, which hit the country's economy hard. Shortly thereafter, an online petition calling for Rohingyas to be kicked out of Malaysia received more than 400,000 signatures before being taken down.
- Malaysia has refused to recognize Min Aung Hlaing's regime and has been one of the strongest voices in Southeast Asia pushing for a negotiated end to Myanmar's civil war. However, Anwar said he would invite Myanmar’s military chief-turned-President Min Aung Hlaing for an official visit in return for accepting the Rohingya refugees.
- James Bawi Thang Bik, who represents refugees from Myanmar’s Chin community in Malaysia, said he was aware of several asylum-seekers among those being deported, including a UNHCR card holder, citing information gathered by community leaders.
- The deportation is the first phase of a broader plan agreed with Myanmar that could see the return of as many as 5,000 people. According to UN figures, the group includes 126,144 from the Rohingya community, 15,774 Chin, and 33,002 people from other minority ethnic groups.
What's still developing
- FLASH SALE | Subscribe today for only €2/month Malaysia began the process of deporting around 1,500 Myanmar nationals as part of a refugee repatriation programme, defying objections from the United Nations and dozens of human rights groups.
- Dozens of buses accompanied by security vehicles arrived at a stadium near the Lumut naval base in Malaysia’s Perak state on Tuesday morning, before being moved to the port where two Myanmar naval vessels and a hospital ship had docked.
- In the statement, the ministry said the repatriation involved 1,476 Myanmar nationals identified by the Myanmar government.
- Myanmar’s foreign ministry said this month that it was working with countries to facilitate the voluntary return of verified displaced persons in a safe and dignified manner, according to a state media report.
- Malaysia has saidthat the programme was strictly voluntary, but the UN refugee agency and civil society organisations have raised concerns about the safety of those being returned, with Myanmar still in a state of civil war.
- A Myanmar government spokesperson and its embassy in Kuala Lumpur did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
- Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 coup triggered a civil war, with the military fighting armed groups across multiple frontlines.
- The agency clarified that it holds no operational role in the current repatriation exercise, reiterating that any return must be voluntary, fully informed and conducted under verified conditions of safety and dignity. For the vast majority of refugees remaining in Malaysia, the naval departure on Sept 29 offers no resolution.
- Sign up now: Get insights on the biggest stories in Malaysia Rohingya refugees at the police headquarters on July 28 for screening and documentation after being removed from the UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur.
- KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will send back its first batch of 1,476 Myanmar nationals on Sept 29 under a phased repatriation programme, despite intense pressure from rights organisations and the United Nations refugee agency to halt the returns.