Malay and Myanmar offer support for restoring relations with ASEAN to former military president

(Hanoi = Yonhap News) Correspondent Park Jin-hyung = Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing, who transformed from the head of the military regime to the head of the civilian government, visited Malaysia and had a summit meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and received a promise to help restore relations between ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and Myanmar.

Prime Minister Anwar said at a press conference after a meeting with President Min Aung Hlaing in the administrative capital Putrajaya on the 8th (local time) that his country would take "all possible measures" to have the international community, including ASEAN, accept Myanmar as a member.

He said that 10,493 Myanmar nationals who had been staying in Malaysia returned to their home country this year and expressed gratitude to President Min Aung Hlaing for accepting them and showing "honest attitude and willingness to cooperate."

Prime Minister Anwar said he would continue to cooperate with Myanmar, including on the issue of repatriating Myanmar refugees.

He also said he would continue to raise concerns about the lack of democratic reform and ongoing violence in Myanmar, but added that each other's differences must be respected.

Regarding the repatriation of Myanmar refugees, President Min Aung Hlaing said, "We will bring back these identified citizens as quickly as possible," and added, "As the weather conditions are good, we will dispatch a naval ship to repatriate them."

He also invited Prime Minister Anwar to visit Myanmar at an “appropriate time.”

Malaysia is considered one of the countries in ASEAN that has strongly criticized the Myanmar military regime, which took power through a military coup in 2021.

However, as public opinion against Myanmar refugees, who have recently increased to more than 200,000 in Malaysia, spreads, Prime Minister Anwar is taking the position that cooperation with the Myanmar government is inevitable to send them back.

As a result, President Min Aung Hlaing, who took off his military uniform last April and took office as a civilian president, became the fifth person among the 11 ASEAN member states to visit Malaysia after taking office, following Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

In relation to this, the international community, including the United Nations, and human rights groups are raising concerns that if Myanmar refugees, the majority of whom are Rohingya, a Muslim minority who have been oppressed in Myanmar, are repatriated, they will face threats such as forced conscription.

However, Prime Minister Anwar mentioned that the Myanmar government had assured that it would not harm returning refugees.

Malaysian authorities also reported that the issue of "voluntary, dignified and safe repatriation of Myanmar people of all ethnic groups illegally residing in Malaysia" was discussed as a major issue at this meeting.

“Prime Minister Anwar, who is under pressure to repatriate refugees, needs the cooperation of Myanmar’s military regime, and this visit (by President Min Aung Hlaing) is a reward for that,” Richard Hossey, senior adviser for Asia at the think tank International Crisis Group (ICG), explained to Reuters.

He then observed that Prime Minister Anwar said that this summit does not mean recognition (of the Myanmar regime as a government), but Min Aung Hlaing will present it as exactly that.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are currently about 193,000 refugees or asylum seekers from Myanmar staying in Malaysia.