Perjelas rancangan hantar pulang 5,000 Rohingya, Saifuddin beritahu menteri

Former Deputy Prime Minister Saifuddin Abdullah questioned whether the government is normalizing relations with Myanmar's military junta through the repatriation plan for Rohingya refugees. In a statement to the House, Indera Mahkota MP claimed the government's release of the plan is necessary to clarify the implementation of National Security Council Resolution No. 23, the overall foundation of Malaysia's approach to Rohingya refugees, and how to handle the issue in a legal and transparent manner.

He emphasized that Malaysia has consistently emphasized that any repatriation must be safe, voluntary, dignified, and that the situation in Myanmar must allow for a dignified return. Saifuddin also questioned whether Myanmar provides guarantees regarding nationality, legal status, safety, freedom of movement, and long-term protection for those who may be sent back.

He further suggested that the government may be changing its stance on Myanmar, which Malaysia previously deemed illegal and unable to implement the ASEAN consensus of five points. He also highlighted that the government is currently in the process of normalizing relations with the junta through the repatriation of Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution and violence.

Last week, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that his office has begun identifying, documenting, and sorting the Rohingya refugees for the government's repatriation plan. Malaysia hosts one of the largest Rohingya populations in the region, where most of them fled from persecution in Rakhine, Myanmar. There are approximately 215,000 registered Rohingya refugees with the UNHCR in the country, with around 126,000 of them being Rohingya ethnicities.

In 2021, Malaysia deported over 1,000 Myanmar nationals on boats despite a court injunction halting the action, while legal activists challenged the search for asylum and registered UNHCR refugees. Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and considers asylum seekers as unauthorized migrants, recently requesting UNHCR to temporarily halt the registration of new refugees while it builds a domestic system to manage asylum seekers.