Malaysia Begins Returning Myanmar Nationals Amid Safety Concerns

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia has begun repatriating around 1,500 Myanmar nationals as part of a wider programme that could see up to 5,000 people returned to Myanmar, despite concerns from the United Nations and rights groups over safety conditions in the country.

Dozens of buses arrived under police escort at a stadium near the Lumut naval base on Tuesday before the returnees were expected to be taken to the port and transported to Myanmar by sea. Malaysia has described the process as voluntary.

The first phase involves 1,476 Myanmar nationals identified by the Myanmar government. Malaysian authorities said two Myanmar navy vessels and a hospital ship would be used for the repatriation. The authorities have not publicly clarified the ethnic identities of those in the first group, and it remains unclear whether any Rohingya are among them.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said it was not involved in identifying those being returned and has warned that current conditions in Myanmar do not support the safe and sustainable return of refugees. Myanmar remains affected by armed conflict following the 2021 military coup.

Rights groups have also questioned whether people held in detention can freely decide to return. More than 160 civil society organisations previously called on Malaysia to halt the planned return of Rohingya refugees, citing continuing violence and the risk of forced conscription in Myanmar.

Malaysia hosts a large population of refugees from Myanmar, including more than 126,000 Rohingya, while Bangladesh hosts more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees. The current repatriation programme, however, concerns Myanmar nationals generally, and the composition of the first group has not been fully disclosed.