Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing visits Malaysia amid concerns over repatriations

Myanmar’s military leader-turned-president has arrived in Malaysia for talks with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as Kuala Lumpur seeks his cooperation to send back thousands of Myanmar nationals.

Min Aung Hlaing touched down at Kuala Lumpur international airport at 04:30 GMT on Wednesday, state media images showed.

The two-day visit comes as Malaysia pushes ahead with a controversial move to repatriate thousands of ⁠Myanmar nationals, despite warnings from the United Nations and rights groups that returnees could face serious danger amid a raging civil war.

“The visit provides the prime minister with an opportunity to sustain his direct engagement with Myanmar,” the Malaysian government said in a statement on Tuesday.

Key bilateral issues include the “voluntary, ⁠⁠dignified and safe repatriation of Myanmar nationals of all ethnic groups who have been in Malaysia illegally”, it added.

A spokeswoman for Min Aung Hlaing said “the agenda will include discussions on the voluntary, dignified and safe repatriation of Myanmar nationals currently in Malaysia”.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, triggering a civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million.

The military engineered a widely criticised election that allowed the retired general, who is subject to Western sanctions, to take up a civilian role — a ‌‌transition that has led to some moves towards re-engagement with Myanmar.

Since formally becoming president in April, Min Aung Hlaing has visited ASEAN member countries Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and also made trips to China, India, Russia and Belarus.

Repatriation of Rohingya

In Malaysia, following a wave of online hate speech and misinformation earlier this year, pressure on undocumented migrants and refugees has grown, particularly against Rohingya, many of whom fled a brutal 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

Last month, Anwar said in a podcast that he would invite Min Aung Hlaing for an official ⁠⁠visit if Myanmar accepted the return of thousands of Rohingya refugees.

Malaysia has deported about 10,000 Myanmar nationals since January, ⁠⁠according to Anwar, who said Myanmar authorities had given assurances those returning would not be harmed.

Malaysia is home to about 215,600 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR, including about 126,000 Rohingya who make up one of Southeast Asia’s largest refugee communities.

Despite hosting them, Malaysia is not a party to the UN Refugee Convention and treats refugees as undocumented migrants.