Malaysia Repatriates Myanmar Migrants Despite UN Warnings<\/p>\n
Reporter<\/p>\n
September 29, 2026 | 06:39 pm<\/p>\n
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Buses accompanied by security vehicles, carrying\nmigrants to a boat to be repatriated to Myanmar, arrived at a stadium\nnear Malaysia\u2019s Lumut naval base on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Malaysia is starting the first phase of a process agreed with\nMyanmar\u2019s military regime to send as many as 5,000 people back to the\nwartorn country.<\/p>\n
Malaysia says the process is strictly voluntary, but the UN refugee\nagency and civil society organizations have voiced concerns about the\nsecurity of those returning, saying they could face either military\nrecruitment, persecution or detention amid the ongoing civil war.<\/p>\n
What happened as Malaysia began the repatriation process?<\/p>\n
The buses full of people arrived at the Lumuk naval base on Myanmar\u2019s\nnorthwest coast on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Two naval vessels and a hospital ship were docked on site seemingly\nready for a naval transport.<\/p>\n
Malaysia\u2019s Home Ministry had said in late August that the first phase\nof the repatriation would start in September. It said that the\nrepatriation involved 1,476 Myanmar citizens identified by the Myanmar\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Malaysia has tightened immigration enforcement in recent years amid\nrising local hostility against refugees, particularly ethnic Rohingya\nMuslims from Myanmar.<\/p>\n
Myanmar\u2019s state media this month also cited the Foreign Ministry as\nsaying it was working with countries to facilitate the voluntary return\nof verified displaced people in a safe and dignified manner.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the security situation in Myanmar?<\/p>\n
Myanmar has been in more pronounced turmoil since a 2021 coup\ntriggered a civil war, with the military now fighting armed groups\nacross multiple frontlines.<\/p>\n
However, allegations of persecution and even ethnic cleansing of the\ncountry\u2019s Rohingya Muslim minority were prevalent long before the\nfull-scale civil war broke out. To the same token, some of the country\u2019s\nregional conflicts and uprisings have been ongoing for decades.<\/p>\n
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says the current\nconditions \u201cdo not suppor the safe and sustainable return of refugees\nfrom Myanmar.\u201d It also said it had not been involved in agreements like\nthe one struck with Malaysia.<\/p>\n
UNHCR data suggests that roughly 193,000 refugees from Myanmar are in\nMalaysia, around two-thirds of them Rohingya.<\/p>\n
Activist James Bawi Thang Bik said that based on accounts of refugees\nwho had previously been deported, they could risk detention or forced\nconscription.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe fear that they may be forced to fight on the frontlines of the\nconflict. For many it is akin to sending them to a death sentence in\ntheir own home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A wave of online agitation this year had amplified harassment and\nscrutiny of Rohingya in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said this month that he would invite\nMyanmar\u2019s military chief turned president, Min Aung Hlaing, for an\nofficial visit in return for accepting the Rohingya returns.<\/p>\n
Myanmar\u2019s largely ostracized government, trying to portray itself as\nmore politically legitimate five years after ousting former President\nAung San Suu Kyi, is seeking greater acceptance among the international\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
Read: Mahathir Mohamad\u2019s Wife, Siti Hasmah, Passes Away at 100<\/p>\n
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