Malaysia Commences Repatriation Process for Myanmar Nationals
Malaysia has started documenting and screening thousands of detained Myanmar nationals as part of a repatriation program agreed with Myanmar, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution announced on Thursday. The repatriation program aims to bring back up to 5,000 Myanmar nationals currently living in Malaysia, as well as an unspecified number currently in Cox’s Bazar, a town in southeast Bangladesh.
According to Saifuddin, Malaysia has identified up to 4,000 Myanmar nationals in its 19 detention depots, who will be moved to a single site for security screening and documentation purposes. He assured that the target of 5,000 individuals will be met once the process is complete. The foreign ministry will handle the next stage of the repatriation process with Myanmar, Saifuddin added.
Background on the Repatriation Program
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had stated on Wednesday that those being repatriated were Rohingya refugees. However, Saifuddin clarified that only Myanmar nationals with refugee status are being repatriated. He emphasized that the repatriation program is not about bringing back Bengalis, as Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya as one of the country’s 135 lawful ethnic minorities, instead referring to them as Bengalis to imply they are natives from Bangladesh and are illegally settled in Myanmar.
Myanmar’s Director-General of the ASEAN Department, Han Win Aung, also rejected reports that the government would accept Rohingyas. He stated that the repatriation program is focused solely on verified Myanmar nationals currently held in detention centers in Malaysia. Han Win Aung explained that the plan follows earlier repatriation operations in 2021 and 2022, when Myanmar received more than 1,100 of its nationals stranded in Malaysia.
The number of people to be repatriated and the timeline for transfer remain under discussion, Han Win Aung said. Malaysia is home to about 215,600 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the U.N. refugee agency, 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.
International Reactions and Clarifications
Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, a commissioner for refugee, relief, and repatriation in Cox’s Bazar, told The Associated Press by phone that he was not aware of any repatriation of Rohingya from Bangladesh. In Naypyitaw, the capital of Myanmar, officials also rejected reports that the government would accept Rohingyas.
Malaysia’s Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution assured that the repatriation program is a result of good relations with Myanmar, which has agreed to take back 5,000 individuals from Malaysia. He clarified that the repatriation process is a matter of national security and will be handled by the foreign ministry.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had stated that those being repatriated were Rohingya refugees. However, Saifuddin clarified that only Myanmar nationals with refugee status are being repatriated. He emphasized that the repatriation program is not about bringing back Bengalis, as Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya as one of the country’s 135 lawful ethnic minorities, instead referring to them as Bengalis to imply they are natives from Bangladesh and are illegally settled in Myanmar.
Myanmar’s Director-General of the ASEAN Department, Han Win Aung, also rejected reports that the government would accept Rohingyas. He stated that the repatriation program is focused solely on verified Myanmar nationals currently held in detention centers in Malaysia. Han Win Aung explained that the plan follows earlier repatriation operations in 2021 and 2022, when Myanmar received more than 1,100 of its nationals stranded in Malaysia.
