Nearly 1,500 migrants arrive in Myanmar from Malaysia despite UN warnings

What the report says

Nearly 1,500 Myanmar refugees and migrants who were deported from Malaysia have arrived in southern Yangon, according to Myanmar officials, as the two countries continue a controversial repatriation process that human rights groups and the UN have criticized. The group of 1,479 people was transported from Malaysia on navy ships and a hospital ship and reached Myanmar on Sunday, the report said.

Al Jazeera, citing AFP, reported that the returns are part of a larger plan to send back 5,000 Myanmar nationals from Malaysia in stages. Malaysia said the deportations are voluntary, but the UN refugee agency said its staff were not allowed to meet the returnees to verify whether their decisions were made freely and with full information. Rights groups have warned that many people may face danger if sent back.

The issue is especially sensitive because many of the refugees in Malaysia are Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar. Myanmar has been in civil war since the military seized power in 2021, and the report says returnees could face persecution or forced military service in an active conflict zone. Malaysia, which is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, says it hosts more than 215,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR, including more than 126,000 Rohingya.