Malaysia begins repatriating Myanmar nationals despite UN and rights group warnings

Malaysia has begun repatriating Myanmar nationals under a new government scheme, despite warnings from the United Nations and rights organisations that the move could endanger migrants and asylum seekers by returning them to a country still gripped by conflict.

According to the government, around 1,500 Myanmar nationals were sent back on Tuesday, the first group in a planned repatriation of roughly 5,000 people held in Malaysian detention centres. Officials have described the programme as voluntary, saying those repatriated agreed to the return.

Rights groups have disputed the characterisation of the scheme as fully voluntary, raising concerns about the conditions under which detainees agreed to return and about the risks they may face once back in Myanmar, where conflict between the military government and armed opposition groups has continued for years. Organisations that work with refugees have previously flagged the dangers of returning people to active conflict zones, including the possibility of persecution.

Rising anti-migrant sentiment

The repatriation scheme comes amid what has been described as a significant increase in anti-migrant sentiment within Malaysia, which hosts a large population of Myanmar migrants and refugees, many of whom fled violence, persecution or economic hardship. Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, which limits the legal protections available to asylum seekers there and has long complicated the status of Myanmar nationals living in the country.

The government has framed the programme as part of its broader approach to managing migration and detention, but UN agencies and non-governmental organisations have urged Malaysian authorities to ensure that no one is returned to a situation where their safety could be at risk, a principle known in international law as non-refoulement.

It remains unclear how the remaining Myanmar nationals covered by the scheme will be processed in the coming weeks, or what safeguards will be applied to assess individual risk before further repatriations take place. Rights groups have said they will continue to monitor the programme as it proceeds.