Malaysia Begins Myanmar Repatriations  09/30 06:25

   

   MANJUNG, Malaysia (AP) -- Malaysia on Tuesday began repatriating Myanmar 
nationals, including women and children, under a voluntary program despite 
warnings from the United Nations refugee agency and rights groups that 
conditions in the country remain unsafe.

   The 1,476 people being sent back are among 5,000 Myanmar nationals who will 
be repatriated in stages from Malaysia, where 10,388 Myanmar nationals were 
being held at immigration detention depots nationwide as of Aug. 15, according 
to Malaysia's Home Ministry.

   Buses believed to be carrying Myanmar returnees arrived at a stadium in 
Manjung town in Malaysia's central Perak state early Tuesday, amid tight 
security. Ships believed to be from Myanmar were docked at the nearby Lumut 
naval base.

   Home Ministry official Makhzan Mahyuddin was quoted by national Bernama news 
agency as saying the returnees included 1,370 men, 79 women, 20 boys and seven 
girls, and were aged between eight and 60.

   The ministry said they would be sent back safely on two Myanmar navy 
warships and a hospital ship. It is unclear if any of the returnees were 
minority Muslim Rohingya, who are rejected by the Myanmar government. The 
ministry didn't provide further details of their identities and circumstances, 
but stressed that their return was voluntary, although this wasn't verified by 
any party.

   "This move also sends a clear signal that the government is serious about 
addressing irregular migration and the issue of undocumented foreign nationals 
through law enforcement, repatriation and more systematic management and data 
collection," the ministry said in a statement.

   Many refugees in Malaysia come from Myanmar's Rohingya minority 

   The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and rights groups slammed 
the repatriation, saying the security and humanitarian situation in parts of 
Myanmar remains volatile and returnees could face serious risks such as 
persecution and forced military conscription in an active war zone.

   Myanmar is involved in an armed conflict and political instability following 
the military's seizure of power in 2021.

   Malaysia is home to about 215,600 refugees and asylum seekers registered 
with the UNHCR, including about 126,000 Rohingya who make up one of Southeast 
Asia's largest refugee communities. Despite hosting them, Malaysia is not a 
party to the U.N. Refugee Convention and treats refugees as undocumented 
migrants.

   The government recently launched a system to register refugees and asylum 
seekers in Malaysia and to build a biometric database, as it seeks to manage 
and regulate the population independently from the UNHCR.

   Rohingya have faced growing public hostility in Malaysia due to their 
growing numbers, fueled by concerns over jobs, public services and security.

   Malaysia says Myanmar must accept the refugees' return 

   Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has defended the repatriation policy 
as a diplomatic effort to find a long-term solution, saying Malaysia cannot 
host refugees indefinitely and Myanmar must take responsibility for its 
citizens.

   Anwar said he plans to invite Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing to Malaysia to 
discuss the long-running refugee and undocumented migrant issue that has 
dragged on for decades.

   "I am inviting him to say that we can be friends and trade, we can accept 
Myanmar, but Myanmar must accept them back," he said in a podcast posted online 
Sept. 16. "To me, that's better diplomacy than just shouting angrily at 
Myanmar."

   The Burmese Rohingya Organization UK, based in London, slammed plans to 
negotiate with the junta.

   "Anwar Ibrahim is making a deal with the devil. Refugees' lives are being 
used as currency in a deal with the same military responsible for genocide, 
crimes against humanity and war crimes," said the group's president Tun Khin.

   Myanmar Foreign Ministry official Han Win Aung has said the plan follows 
repatriation operations in 2021 and 2022, when Myanmar received more than 1,100 
of its nationals stranded in Malaysia.

   He said the repatriation involves genuine citizens and is not about bringing 
back the Rohingya people, who are not recognized as an ethnic group in Myanmar 
and denied citizenship.

   Malaysia's Home Ministry said in the statement that subsequent repatriations 
would proceed once identity verification, documentation, logistics and 
operational coordination between the two countries are finalized.

   Two advocacy groups, Amnesty International and Asylum Access, in a joint 
statement urged the government to halt repatriations, saying the government's 
new system must not be used to fast-track unlawful deportations. Rights groups 
have also urged the government to restore the UNHCR's access to detention 
centers to screen vulnerable refugees.