SNAPSHOT | UNHCR warns M'sia against returning refugees; 28 potential athletes identified for LA28

At the end of February, Malaysia hosted approximately 193,800 refugees from Myanmar, including Rohingya and Chin ethnicities, according to UNHCR data. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated that they were not involved in Malaysia's plan to repatriate Myanmar refugees. Reuters reported that this comes after the Ministry of Home Affairs announced last week that they had committed to the first phase of voluntary repatriation program, with 1,476 refugees returning to Myanmar on September 29.

Earlier, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Myanmar agreed to receive 5,000 Rohingya refugees. UNHCR stated that safe, dignified and voluntary repatriation of refugees from Myanmar cannot be carried out due to ongoing armed conflict and brutality in the country. Under international law, which all countries are bound to, no one can be sent to a country where their rights or freedom may be threatened.

Any repatriation of refugees must be voluntary, based on informed and sufficient decisions, and carried out in safe and dignified conditions. UNHCR urged for the protection needs of all parties involved to be considered carefully before they are repatriated to Myanmar, and we are ready to cooperate with authorities on protection measures, they said.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Home Affairs declined to comment on the UNHCR statement and instead referred to a previous statement that the repatriation process is voluntary. Thousands of refugees have fled Myanmar since the military coup in February 2021 that sparked a civil war. At the end of February, Malaysia had approximately 193,800 refugees from Myanmar, including various ethnicities including Rohingya and Chin, according to UNHCR data. However, activists say many more remain unregistered.