Hello and welcome to the details of Myanmar promises ‘safe’ returns ahead of Malaysia repatriations, even as UN says conditions aren’t there yet and now with the details
Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - Rohingya refugees are seen at the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters after being relocated from outside the UNHCR office in Jalan Bukit Petaling on July 28, 2026, ahead of their repatriation to Myanmar, from where they originally fled. — Bernama pic
YANGON, Sept 3 — Myanmar pledged on Thursday “safe and dignified” returns for its citizens displaced abroad, after the United Nations and rights groups raised concerns about the upcoming repatriation of 1,500 people from Malaysia.
The Myanmar foreign ministry also repeated its disavowal of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority, members of which campaigners fear may be plunged back into danger by the return scheme.
In July, Malaysia said Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 members of the Rohingya, a group which has faced a campaign of violent discrimination in Myanmar since 2017.
Both countries say a first wave of nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals will be repatriated voluntarily in late September, although it is unclear how many Rohingya will be included.
“Myanmar is committed to working closely with Bangladesh and friendly countries to facilitate the voluntary return of verified displaced persons in a safe and dignified manner,” the foreign ministry statement said.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled Myanmar after a brutal military crackdown starting in 2017, which is the basis of a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
More than 1.2 million live just over the border in Bangladesh, in the world’s largest refugee settlement, but talk of repatriations has yielded little progress.
Another 126,000 Rohingya live in Malaysia, alongside displaced Myanmar citizens from different ethnic groups.
Myanmar has long denied the Rohingya have a distinct heritage, saying they are descendants of immigrants from Bangladesh — even refusing to use the term “Rohingya”.
The foreign ministry repeated its assertion on Thursday that the term “falsely claims an ethnic identity which has never existed in Myanmar”, as it condemned recent commemorations in some countries for Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day.
Malaysia’s communications minister Fahmi Fadzil has said his country will not repatriate Myanmar nationals “if they would either be persecuted or their lives would be threatened”.
But rights monitors fear returning the Rohingya to a country where their identities are erased will permit a new wave of abuses.
A report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres published Wednesday found “conditions for their voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return do not currently exist”.
Many migrants in Malaysia are also being held in detention centres, raising questions about whether their decisions to return can be freely made. — AFP
These were the details of the news Myanmar promises ‘safe’ returns ahead of Malaysia repatriations, even as UN says conditions aren’t there yet for this day. We hope that we have succeeded by giving you the full details and information. To follow all our news, you can subscribe to the alerts system or to one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.
It is also worth noting that the original news has been published and is available at Malay Mail and the editorial team at AlKhaleej Today has confirmed it and it has been modified, and it may have been completely transferred or quoted from it and you can read and follow this news from its main source.
