KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia | Malaysia began sending 1,476 Myanmar nationals back to Myanmar on Tuesday, despite warnings from the United Nations refugee agency and human rights groups that the country remains unsafe because of continuing armed conflict, political instability and risks of persecution.
The first group, consisting of 1,370 men, 79 women, 20 boys and seven girls aged between eight and 60, departed from Malaysia’s Perak state aboard two Myanmar naval vessels and a hospital ship, according to Malaysia’s Home Ministry and state news agency Bernama. The government says the returns are voluntary and that those being repatriated were identified and verified by Myanmar authorities.
The operation is the first phase of a wider plan that could return as many as 5,000 Myanmar nationals from Malaysia. Malaysia’s Home Ministry said subsequent phases would depend on identification, documentation and verification procedures. Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry has said it would facilitate the return of verified citizens in a safe and dignified manner.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has warned that current conditions in Myanmar do not support the safe and sustainable return of refugees and said it was not involved in identifying those being returned. The UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar said on September 24 that Rakhine State remained extremely volatile, with civilians exposed to airstrikes, artillery attacks, arbitrary detention, torture and killings.
Amnesty International Malaysia and Asylum Access Malaysia have called for the repatriations to be halted, raising concerns about whether people at risk of persecution have been properly identified and protected. Human Rights Watch has likewise warned that returning refugees to Myanmar could expose them to serious human rights abuses and has cited the international principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where they face a real risk of persecution or other serious harm.
The issue is particularly sensitive because Malaysia hosts a large Myanmar refugee population, including about 126,000 Rohingya registered with UNHCR. Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and does not have a comprehensive domestic refugee law, meaning refugees and asylum seekers are generally treated under immigration laws as undocumented migrants.
The Rohingya have faced decades of discrimination and persecution in Myanmar and were subjected to a major military crackdown in 2017 that drove hundreds of thousands across the border into Bangladesh. Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya as an ethnic group or grant them citizenship, leaving their status particularly vulnerable.
Myanmar’s current crisis intensified after the military seized power in February 2021, triggering widespread resistance and an armed conflict that has since spread across much of the country. The UN mechanism said this month that serious international crimes continue to be committed in Myanmar and that conditions in Rakhine State are not yet conducive to safe, voluntary and sustainable returns.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has defended the policy as part of efforts to address a long-running refugee and undocumented migrant issue, arguing that Myanmar must take responsibility for its citizens. The government has also begun its own refugee registration system as it seeks greater control over asylum and immigration management.
The first repatriation therefore places Malaysia’s immigration policy alongside continuing international concerns over protection, voluntary return and conditions inside Myanmar, with rights groups pressing for safeguards before further returns take place.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
