Malaysia launches first phase of Rohingya repatriation to Myanmar

LUMUT, Malaysia, September 29 — Malaysia kicked off the repatriation of approximately 1,500 Myanmar nationals on Tuesday, marking the beginning of a phased return program that has drawn criticism from rights organizations. This group represents the initial wave of 5,000 Myanmar nationals Malaysia claims have expressed a "voluntary" desire to return from detention facilities.

Dozens of buses, escorted by police, arrived at the Majlis Perbandaran Manjung stadium near the Lumut naval base in the country's northwestern region, according to AFP correspondents. Journalists were barred from entering the site. The migrants were scheduled to undergo processing before being transferred to the naval base and subsequently transported to Myanmar via ship.

It was unclear on Tuesday whether any of the group comprised Rohingya, and Malaysian officials did not disclose the number. However, Rohingya constitute roughly two-thirds of the 190,000 Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers residing in Malaysia, as reported by the United Nations. In July, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that Myanmar had agreed to repatriate 5,000 Rohingya, a notable move that has raised concerns among rights groups.

The repatriation initiative came about after authorities detained more than 100 Rohingya who had gathered outside the United Nations refugee agency's office in Kuala Lumpur, seeking assistance following threats to evict them from an informal settlement in northern Penang state. They were later released upon confirmation of their valid UN documentation.

Myanmar recently pledged "safe and dignified" returns for its citizens residing abroad, responding to criticism from the United Nations and rights organizations. Prime Minister Anwar also announced his intention to invite Myanmar's coup leader-turned-civilian president, Min Aung Hlaing, for an official visit to facilitate the repatriation process.

Malaysia, home to one of Southeast Asia's largest refugee populations, is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not officially recognize refugee status. Fact-checkers from AFP discovered that Rohingya refugees in Malaysia have faced online disinformation campaigns that rights advocates claim fuel xenophobia and intimidation.

Many of the Rohingya, predominantly Muslim, fled Myanmar during a severe military crackdown in 2017.