By The Diplomat | Created at 2026-10-01 08:42:03 | Updated at 2026-10-01 11:07:12
6 hours ago
The United Nations refugee agency yesterday expressed its concerns over Malaysia’s return this week of nearly 1,500 asylum seekers to Myanmar, in spite of the ongoing conflict and dire humanitarian situation inside the country.
The 1,476 people were returned to Myanmar via ship on Tuesday, the first phase in the agreed “voluntary” repatriation of some 5,000 asylum seekers currently held in Malaysian immigration detention centers.
While Malaysia insists that the returns are strictly voluntary, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said yesterday that it was concerned about the fate of the 1,476 people, given the country’s continuing conflict and dire human rights and humanitarian situation.
Since those returned had been held in detention centers, it had “serious questions about whether decisions to return were genuinely free and informed,” UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Edem Wosornu said in a statement. The U.N. agency has been blocked from accessing Malaysian immigration detention centers since 2019.
“We are concerned by these returns at a time when people sent back to Myanmar may face serious risks, and some within the group may be in need of international protection,” Wosornu said.
While recognizing Malaysia’s “sovereign responsibility” to manage asylum and migration issues, UNHCR urged the government “to ensure that all returns are subject to robust safeguards, including individual assessments and access to protection procedures.”
UNHCR’s statement came as Malaysia’s government confirmed that 3,524 refugees had been approved for the second phase of the “voluntary repatriation program.” Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said yesterday that the individuals had been identified by the Myanmar authorities, and that their names were submitted to Malaysia in a diplomatic note dated August 13. He added that Kuala Lumpur was awaiting notification from Myanmar on the date for the repatriation.
The ethnic make-up of the two groups is unclear, but Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has justified the repatriations with reference to the recent wave of public hostility towards the large population of Rohingya Muslims in Malaysia.
Thousands of Rohingya have arrived in Malaysia since 2017, when the Myanmar military launched an ethnic cleansing campaign that pushed more than 740,000 from their homes in Rakhine State into Bangladesh. As of February, Rohingya made up 126,000 of the 193,800 asylum seekers from Myanmar registered with UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur.
A coalition of civil society groups last week raised grave concerns about the possible deportation of Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, given the continuing conflict in Rakhine State and the likelihood that they would be subjected to mistreatment and abuse.
Among ASEAN governments, Malaysia has been among the most critical of the Myanmar military’s seizure of power in 2021, and its ruthless attempts to put down the armed uprising that followed. But the growing domestic pressure over refugees has forced Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to adopt a more accommodating position toward Naypyidaw.
In a bid to expedite the return of refugees, Anwar is set to welcome coup leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing to Malaysia for an official visit later this month. Confirming the Myanmar leader’s visit yesterday, Communications Minister Fahmi said that Anwar would “hold discussions with Myanmar in the near future to facilitate the return of more Myanmar refugees to their country,” Bernama reported.
Given Malaysia’s previously principled position on Myanmar – to say nothing of its vocal advocacy for the Palestinian cause – rights groups have accused it of double standards.
“Malaysia has spoken forcefully about accountability, finding durable solutions, and the need to address the root causes of displacement in Myanmar,” Amnesty International Malaysia and Asylum Access Malaysia said in a statement yesterday. At the same time, it “is prepared to roll out the red carpet and host Min Aung Hlaing in Malaysia to facilitate the accelerated return of refugees.”
In response to these criticisms, Anwar has cited the need to prioritize the security and interests of Malaysia. “The issue of Myanmar refugees is not a new problem, but rather a legacy spanning decades that has placed pressure on the country in terms of security, social affairs and management,” he wrote in a Facebook post earlier this week.
