Malaysia Says Myanmar Refugee Return Will Not Go Ahead if Lives Are at Risk
Authorities are screening the refugees and say the plan will stop if return would expose them to persecution or death, officials said.
- On Wednesday, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced Malaysia will not repatriate 5,000 Myanmar refugees if their lives face persecution or threats, as authorities continue screening individuals ahead of the planned handover.
- Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the repatriation plan last week following rising tensions with local communities, which prompted the closure of refugee schools and reports of harassment targeting Rohingya children.
- Malaysia hosts more than 215,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including more than 126,000 Rohingya, though the nation is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not formally recognize refugee status.
- Human Rights Watch urged the government to reverse the plan, with deputy Asia director Bryony Lau stating Malaysia should "show regional leadership" rather than forcibly returning those targeted by the junta's brutality.
- Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said 4,000 detainees will undergo screening and be consolidated into one depot instead of 19, to facilitate the repatriation process and planned handover.
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17 Articles
The spread of hostile content on social media in Malaysia has exacerbated tensions with the Rohingya refugee community, leading to the eviction of a village of more than 100 people and the temporary closure of schools hosting refugee children.
Malaysia says will not repatriate Myanmar refugees if lives are at risk
KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia will not send 5,000 refugees back to Myanmar if authorities conclude their lives would be at risk, a government spokesman said Wednesday, while preparations continued for the potential repatriation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced last week that Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 members of the persecuted Rohingya minority, in a rare repatriation push that has prompted concern from rights groups. Comm…
(Hanoi=Yonhap News) Correspondent Park Jin-hyung = The Malaysian government, which is pushing for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, says that if they return, their lives will be at risk...
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