Malaysia mula hantar pulang pelarian Myanmar

Malaysia has begun sending back around 1,500 Myanmar refugees, marking the first phase of a program aimed at repatriating 5,000 individuals who have agreed to return voluntarily from detention centers. The refugees are the first batch of 5,000 Myanmar nationals who have reportedly agreed to return "voluntarily" from the detention centers.

Reporters were not allowed to enter the relevant area. The Myanmar nationals are reportedly being taken through a documentation process before being transferred to a naval base and ultimately sent back to Myanmar by ship. At present, it cannot be determined how many of the group are Rohingya ethnic minorities, and Malaysia has not disclosed the number.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Rohingya minority, who have faced persecution, constitute two-thirds of the approximately 190,000 Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia. In July, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 refugees as part of a rare repatriation effort, sparking concerns from human rights groups.

The plan was announced after authorities detained over 100 refugees gathered outside the UNHCR agency office in Kuala Lumpur, who sought assistance after being threatened with deportation from an unauthorized settlement in Penang. They were later released after officials confirmed each had a valid UNHCR document. Earlier this month, Myanmar assured its people abroad that they would be returned "safely and with dignity," prompting criticism from UNHCR and human rights groups.

Anwar also said he would invite Myanmar's de facto leader, President Min Aung Hlaing, to make a formal visit to help speed up the repatriation process. Malaysia, which hosts one of the largest refugee populations in Southeast Asia, is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not officially recognize refugee status. AFP previously found that Myanmar refugees in Malaysia have become the target of misinformation campaigns on social media, fueling xenophobia and harassment against the community. Many Rohingya have fled Myanmar following the military crackdown in 2017.