Nearly 1,500 nationals repatriated from Malaysia as UN warns of risks

Nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals who were sent back from Malaysia arrived in the country’s largest city on Sunday, despite warnings from the United Nations refugee agency and rights groups that conditions for return remain unsafe.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021, triggering widespread opposition and plunging large parts of the country into conflict.

The returnees, including 86 women, had been convicted of staying illegally and committing other immigration violations in Malaysia, according to reports from Myanmar state media. They were transported from Malaysia aboard two navy warships and a hospital ship last Tuesday. They arrived in Yangon early Sunday, according to Nay Lin Tun, a regional government minister.

The returnees are among 5,000 Myanmar nationals who will be repatriated in stages from Malaysia, where another 10,388 Myanmar nationals were being held at immigration detention centres, according to Malaysia’s Home Ministry.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and rights groups have criticised the repatriation, saying the security and humanitarian situation in parts of Myanmar remains volatile and that returnees could face persecution and forced military conscription in an active war zone.

“Under international law, the Government of Malaysia is obligated to uphold the principle of non-refoulement and prevent the return of individuals to situations where they face a real risk of persecution, torture, or other serious human rights violations,” Kelley E. Currie, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said in a statement. “In my assessment, the risk of refoulement in the present circumstances is substantial.”

It was unclear whether any of the returnees were members of the minority Muslim Rohingya community, which faces persecution in Myanmar and has been denied citizenship.

Myanmar Foreign Ministry official Han Win Aung told The Associated Press that the repatriation involved “genuine citizens”.

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 UN Refugee Convention, and treats refugees as undocumented migrants.

Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar’s military-backed government who was sworn in as president in April, is expected to visit Malaysia this month to discuss refugee and migrant issues.