Malaysia to invite Myanmar leader over Rohingya repatriation push
"I invited him because I want to tell him that we can be friends and trade. We can accept Myanmar, but they must accept (its refugees) back," Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced plans to invite Myanmar's coup leader and current president, Min Aung Hlaing, for an official visit. The purpose of this diplomatic move is to expedite the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, a topic that has raised concerns among rights groups. In July, Myanmar agreed to accept back 5,000 Rohingya members of the persecuted minority, but concerns remain about the inclusion of Rohingya in the repatriation plan.
Malaysia currently hosts over 215,000 refugees, with more than 126,000 being Rohingya from Myanmar. The first wave of nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals is set to return to their home country in late September, although the exact number of Rohingya among them remains unclear. Anwar expressed his desire to establish friendship and trade relations with Myanmar, stating that both nations can accept each other's presence, but Myanmar must also accept the return of its refugees.
The repatriation process could be carried out in stages if Myanmar is unable to accommodate all 200,000 refugees at once. This announcement came after Malaysian authorities detained over 100 Rohingya who had gathered outside the UN refugee agency's office in Kuala Lumpur, fearing eviction from an informal settlement in northern Penang state.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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