Malaysia Proceeding with Rohingya Repatriation to Myanmar Amid International Safety Concerns

Malaysia has begun sending nearly 1,500 Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar, describing their return as voluntary despite warnings from the United Nations and rights groups that Myanmar remains unsafe for them. Dozens of buses arrived under police escort at a stadium near the Lumut naval base in northwestern Malaysia on Tuesday, the AFP news agency reported. Journalists were barred from the grounds, and the passengers were expected to be processed before being transported to Myanmar by ship.

The Myanmar army has repeatedly cracked down on the country’s Rohingya minority, including a wave of violence in 2017 that many rights groups have described as genocide. This violence set off a major refugee crisis, causing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, Malaysia, India, and other neighbouring nations. Myanmar does not officially recognise the Rohingya as an ethnic community with local roots, instead describing them as “Bengalis.” As of February 2026, Malaysia had more than 126,144 Rohingya refugees, while Bangladesh hosts more than 1.2 million.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated in July that Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya. The nearly 1,500 individuals picked for repatriation on Tuesday are part of that group. The Ministry of Home Affairs noted that two Myanmar naval warships and a hospital ship would be utilized for the operation.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated it had no role in the operation and warned that ongoing conflict and violence in Myanmar mean conditions for safe and dignified returns do not exist. Rights advocates have similarly questioned whether people held in detention can freely choose to return to a country they fled.

Nay San Lwin, cochair of the Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC), condemned the move, telling Al Jazeera that sending Rohingya back amounts to sending people to a killing field amid intense fighting between the army and rebel groups like the Arakan Army. Ro Mayyu Islam from the Center of Rohingya Crisis Studies also opposed the repatriation, emphasizing that moving refugees from detention centres to Myanmar does not resolve the crisis.

Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and more than 160 civil society organisations urged Malaysia to halt the returns and disclose who was being sent back. Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil maintained that the country would not return people if they faced persecution or threats to their lives.

Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not formally recognise refugee status. Amid growing pressure on Rohingya in Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed intentions to invite Myanmar’s Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to help accelerate the returns.