Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced plans to return 5,000 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, stating that Myanmar had agreed to accept them.
However, a government spokesman said Malaysia will not send the refugees back if authorities conclude their lives would be at risk. Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil reinforced this position, saying, 'Malaysia, as a responsible country, will not send them back if they would either be persecuted or their lives would be threatened.'
Fadzil added that the Myanmar junta has indicated readiness to receive the refugees, but Malaysia will examine criteria before implementing the plan. Myanmar authorities have made no public comment on the proposal.
Malaysia hosts the largest refugee community in the country, all from Myanmar.
Malaysia hosts more than 215,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UN refugee agency, according to official figures. The country is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not formally recognize refugee status.
Authorities are screening the 5,000 refugees identified for repatriation, as rights groups warn they remain at risk of persecution in Myanmar. Many Rohingya fled during a brutal military crackdown in 2017.
Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said 4,000 people in immigration detention identified for the process will undergo screening and be consolidated at one depot, rather than dispersed across 19 depots, to facilitate the procedure.
Last week, Malaysian authorities detained more than 100 Rohingya who gathered outside the UN refugee agency’s office in Kuala Lumpur. Rohingya refugees in northern Penang state have also been threatened with eviction from informal settlements.
