Malaysia begins sending home Myanmar refugees, including children, despite safety concerns

By Hasnoor Hussain, Rozanna Latiff and Jeremy Seng

LUMUT, Malaysia, Sept ‌29 (Reuters) - Malaysia deported around 1,500 Myanmar ​nationals, including children, ​on Tuesday as part of a refugee repatriation programme, defying objections from the United Nations and dozens of human rights groups.

The deportation is the first phase of a broader plan agreed with Myanmar that could see as many as 5,000 people returned.

Malaysia has said returns are strictly voluntary, but the UN refugee agency and civil ‌society organisations have raised concerns about the programme given Myanmar's ongoing civil war.

Dozens of buses accompanied by security vehicles arrived at a stadium ⁠near the Lumut naval base in Malaysia's Perak state on Tuesday morning, then moved to the port where two Myanmar naval vessels and a hospital ship were docked, Reuters witnesses said.

Those being returned included 1,370 men, 79 women, 20 boys ‌and 7 girls, aged between 8 and 60, ‌state news agency Bernama reported, citing a Malaysian home ministry official.

In a separate statement, the ministry said the Myanmar government identified those for repatriation.

Further repatriation phases will continue subject to identification, documentation and verification processes, it said.

A Myanmar government spokesperson and its embassy in Kuala Lumpur did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Myanmar's foreign ministry said this month ​it was working with countries to facilitate the voluntary return of verified displaced persons in a safe and dignified manner, according to a state media report.

MALAYSIA CITES 'FINANCIAL BURDEN, REAL SECURITY THREAT'

Myanmar has been in turmoil since a 2021 coup triggered a civil war, with the military fighting armed groups across multiple frontlines.

The UNHCR has said current conditions "do not support the safe ⁠and sustainable return of refugees from Myanmar" and that it had not been involved in identifying those being returned.

Malaysia has stepped up immigration enforcement in recent years amid rising local hostility against refugees, particularly ethnic Rohingya Muslims many of whom fled ​after a 2017 Myanmar military crackdown that is the subject of a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.

According to the UNHCR, Malaysia had around 193,000 registered refugees from Myanmar at the end of February, with about two-thirds of them Rohingya.

A wave of online hate speech and misinformation ​this year has led to harassment of the Rohingya community, forcing widespread school closures.

The home ministry did ‌not provide details on the ethnicity of those being returned on Tuesday, their refugee status or whether Rohingya were among them.

It said the repatriation process was part of a government effort to reduce the number of asylum-seekers in Malaysia, particularly those from Myanmar, who make up more than ⁠95% of refugees in the country.

"For decades, this issue... has dragged on without a strong solution. This lapse has led to a huge financial burden on the country, triggered a serious social crisis and introduced a real security threat in Malaysia," it said.

The ministry said its approach, through diplomatic negotiations with Myanmar, ensured action could be taken "in an orderly, responsible and humane manner without compromising national security and sovereignty."

RIGHTS GROUPS CONDEMN DEPORTATIONS

Prime ⁠Minister Anwar Ibrahim said this month he would invite Myanmar's military chief-turned-President Min Aung Hlaing for an official visit in return for accepting Rohingya refugees.

Anwar said in July that Myanmar had agreed to take back as many ​as 5,000 Rohingya. Myanmar does not recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group.

James Bawi Thang Bik, who represents refugees from Myanmar's Chin community in Malaysia, said he was aware of several asylum-seekers among those being deported, including a UNHCR-recognised refugee, citing information gathered by community leaders.

Those being sent back could face forced conscription, he said.

"We fear that they may be forced to fight on the frontlines of the conflict. For many it is ‌akin to sending them to a death sentence in their own home," James said.

While Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN refugee convention, the repatriation violates the principle of non-refoulement that bars countries from returning people to places where they are at risk of persecution, rights ‌groups Amnesty International Malaysia and Asylum Access Malaysia said in a joint statement.

The groups said questions remained over how those being deported were identified and whether there were any measures to ensure their safety once back ⁠in Myanmar. They also expressed concern over the refugee registration document (DPP) initiative ‌Malaysia launched in January to manage asylum seekers and refugees.

"A ​meaningful refugee protection framework must ensure that refugees are able to access asylum while in Malaysia. It cannot be a system designed to fast-track unlawful deportations," they said.

(Reporting by Hasnoor Hussain, Rozanna Latiff and Jeremy Seng; Additional reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal in Bangkok; Writing by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by David ‌Stanway and Kate Mayberry)

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