Malaysia repatriates 1,500 Myanmar nationals despite UN risk warnings

Nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals, including 86 women, landed in Malaysia's capital on Sunday after being deported, despite the United Nations and human rights organizations warning of dangerous conditions in the country. Myanmar has been in chaos since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021, leading to widespread protests and conflict.

The deportees, who had been found guilty of unlawful presence and other immigration offenses in Malaysia, traveled on two navy vessels and a hospital ship. They arrived in Yangon on Sunday morning, according to Nay Lin Tun, a regional government official. The Malaysian government plans to repatriate 5,000 people in stages from Malaysia, where a total of 10,388 remain in immigration detention centers.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees and rights groups have criticized the repatriation, citing the precarious security and humanitarian situation in parts of Myanmar, where returnees could face persecution, torture, or forced military service in an ongoing war. UN special rapporteur Kelley E. Currie stated that Malaysia is bound by international law to prevent people from being returned to environments where they might face serious human rights abuses.

It remained unclear if any of the returnees were Rohingya, a Muslim minority group that faces persecution and lacks citizenship in Myanmar. The Foreign Ministry in Myanmar stated that the deportees were "genuine citizens." Malaysia is home to approximately 215,600 refugees and asylum seekers, with a significant Rohingya population.

However, the country is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and classifies refugees as undocumented migrants. Myanmar’s military leader, Min Aung Hlaing, is scheduled to visit Malaysia later this month to address refugee and migrant concerns.