Malaysia Begins Myanmar Repatriations; UN Says Conditions Remain Unsafe

On Tuesday, three ships left Malaysia carrying 1,476 Myanmar nationals, including children, back to a country still in the middle of a civil war.

The return was the first phase of a broader plan between Malaysia and Myanmar that could eventually see as many as 5,000 people sent back. Malaysia says the returns are voluntary, but the move has raised concerns from the United Nations and dozens of human rights groups.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it had no role in the operation and warned that continuing conflict and violence in Myanmar meant conditions for safe and dignified returns did not exist. “Any refugee return must be voluntary, based on an informed decision, and take place in conditions of safety and dignity,” it told the Reuters news agency.

Anadolu Ajansı, state-run news agency of Turkey reported that UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh told journalists in Geneva that UNHCR remains committed to engaging with the Malaysian government through technical support, policy dialogue and capacity building to develop accessible and effective protection measures.

"We are concerned by the reported imminent return of some 1,500 individuals ..., with ongoing armed conflict and widespread violence and human rights violations across Myanmar," he added.

UNHCR maintains that current conditions in Myanmar do not permit "safe, dignified, and sustainable returns," Saltmarsh stressed.

"Under international law, no one should be sent to a country where they may face persecution, torture, serious harm, or other threats to life, liberty, and security," he said.

Dozens of buses accompanied by security vehicles arrived at a stadium near the Lumut naval base in Malaysia's Perak state on Tuesday morning, Reuters witnesses said.

The group included 1,370 men, 79 women, 20 boys and seven girls. They left Malaysia's Lumut naval base aboard two Myanmar navy vessels and a hospital ship.

As per a BBC report, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said he is responding to growing public hostility towards the large population of Muslim Rohingyas in Malaysia and has no choice but to negotiate with the Myanmar government over their return.

Malaysia's Home Affairs Ministry confirmed in a statement that the first phase of the programme had begun, with 1,476 people selected from a list provided by the Myanmar government through diplomatic channels.

The ministry said the programme was part of a wider effort to deal with the long-running issue of foreign asylum seekers in Malaysia, around 95 percent of whom it said were from Myanmar. It said hosting asylum seekers over a long period had placed financial pressure on the country and raised social and security concerns.

But the returns come at a time when fighting is still continuing across Myanmar.

A deadly airstrike in Rakhine

Just a day before the ships left Malaysia, a Myanmar military airstrike hit an area near a busy market in Kyauktaw township in Rakhine State.

The Arakan Army (AA), which controls the area, and a local rescue official said at least 49 people were killed and 58 injured, including 22 who were critically wounded.

The AA said a fighter jet dropped two bombs near the market around noon on Monday, hitting an area crowded with vendors, shoppers and people passing through. The Myanmar military did not immediately comment on the attack.

Rakhine has become one of the main fronts in Myanmar's civil war.

The Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group fighting for greater autonomy for Rakhine, began a major offensive against Myanmar's military in November 2023. Since then, it has taken control of 14 of Rakhine State's 17 townships.

That means Myanmar's military has lost control of much of the state on the ground. But it still has something the Arakan Army does not have on the same scale: air power.

The military has continued to use airstrikes against areas controlled by opposition forces, and Monday's attack is the latest reminder that losing territory on the ground has not stopped it from striking from the air.

The timing also adds to concerns around returning people to Myanmar. While those sent back from Malaysia have not been identified as people returning specifically to Rakhine, the attack came just one day before the first group left Malaysia and underlines the wider security situation inside the country.

CNA also reported that last week more than 160 civil society groups in a joint statement called upon the Malaysian government to "immediately halt the deportations", pending talks with civil organisations about the situation on the ground in Myanmar.

Anwar said he would invite Myanmar's coup leader-turned-civilian president Min Aung Hlaing for an official visit to help expedite the repatriation process.

But the civil groups urged that "Malaysia's engagement with the junta must not come at the expense of its own reputation and integrity".

Where does this leave the Rohingya?

Nearly a decade after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled Myanmar, more than 1.3 million remain displaced across Asia. Most are still stateless, with few options to return home or build a permanent life elsewhere.

Bangladesh continues to host by far the largest number. UNHCR figures from June put the Rohingya refugee population there at just over 1.2 million, including more than 153,000 people who arrived following another wave of fighting in Rakhine State. Most live in and around Cox's Bazar, while around 34,000 are on Bhasan Char.

As Asia Media Centre reported in August, life in the camps is becoming harder. Aid funding is shrinking, refugees have few opportunities to work legally and security remains a concern.

In response to the repatriation plan, Mohammed Siraj wrote for Daily Star, a Bangladesh-based newspaper asked can repatriation properly be regarded as a solution when the conditions that compelled people to flee remain fundamentally unresolved? “If Myanmar wishes for the return of Rohingya refugees, it should demonstrate that those refugees will return not merely as displaced people received at the border, but as rights-bearing individuals whose citizenship, security and dignity are guaranteed. If Malaysia wishes to reduce its refugee burden, it should pursue solutions that are sustainable rather than merely immediate. And if ASEAN wishes to preserve its credibility as a regional institution committed to peace and stability, it must ensure that the pursuit of diplomatic progress does not come at the expense of those who have already paid the highest price for Myanmar's crisis,” he wrote.

Malaysia has become another major destination. Around 126,000 Rohingya were registered with UNHCR at the end of February, according to figures reported by Reuters, although rights groups say the actual number could be higher as many remain undocumented.

Malaysia is not part of the UN Refugee Convention and does not have a formal asylum system, which means refugees have limited legal protection. In July, Reuters reported that more than 100 Rohingya, including women and children, were detained after gathering outside the UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur seeking help after being evicted from their homes in Penang.

India is also home to thousands of Rohingya. UNHCR recorded around 22,700 Rohingya refugees and asylum seekers there at the end of 2025. UN human rights experts have raised concerns about detention and forced returns, including allegations that Indian authorities detained Rohingya in Delhi in May 2025 before forcing some into the Andaman Sea.

Further south, Indonesia hosts around 2,600 Rohingya, many of whom arrived by boat and now live in temporary sites in Aceh, North Sumatra and Riau. Indonesia has continued to allow refugee boats in distress to come ashore, but there has also been growing hostility towards Rohingya in some communities. Refugees are not legally allowed to work, leaving many dependent on aid.

Thailand hosts a much smaller Rohingya population. UNHCR says people arriving there can face detention and other protection concerns. Like Malaysia, Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention.

With so few options, more Rohingya are taking dangerous journeys by sea. UNHCR says more than 6,500 people attempted crossings across the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea in 2025. Nearly 900 were reported dead or missing, making it the deadliest year on record for Rohingya sea journeys.

By mid-April this year, another 2,800 people had already attempted the crossing, often heading towards Malaysia and Indonesia.

Going back to Myanmar is no easier. The Arakan Army now controls most of Rakhine State, while fighting and Myanmar military airstrikes continue.

Speaking at a UN meeting on the Rohingya crisis on September 23, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih said the conditions needed for Rohingya to return voluntarily and safely simply "do not exist at the moment".

For the Rohingya, that leaves very few choices: life in Bangladesh's crowded camps, an uncertain future in countries such as Malaysia and India, dangerous journeys across the sea, or returning to a part of Myanmar that is still at war.

 -Asia Media Centre

Banner Image - A file photo of Rohingya refugees used for representation only.