Malaysia begins repatriating Myanmar migrants despite safety concerns

Buses accompanied by security vehicles, carrying migrants to a boat to be repatriated to Myanmar, arrived at a stadium near Malaysia's Lumut naval base on Tuesday.

Malaysia is starting the first phase a process agreed with Mynamar's military regime to send as many as 5,000 people back to the wartorn country.

Malaysia say the process is strictly voluntary, but the UN refugee agency and civil society organizations have voiced concerns about the security of those returning, saying they could face either military recruitment, persecution or detention amid the ongoing civil war.

What happened as Malaysia began the repatriation process?

The buses full of people arrived at the Lumuk naval base on Myanmar's northwest coast on Tuesday.

Two naval vessels and a hospital ship were docked on site seemingly ready for a naval transport.

Malaysia's Home Ministry had said in late August that the first phase of the repatriation would start in September. It said that the repatriation involved 1,476 Myanmar citizens identified by the Myanmar government.

Malaysia has tightened immigration enforcement in recent years amid rising local hostility against refugees, particularly ethnic Rohingya ⁠Muslims ​from Myanmar.

Myanmar's state media this month also cited the Foreign Ministry as saying it was working with countries to facilitate the voluntary return of verified displaced people in a safe and dignified manner.

What's the security situation in Myanmar?

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

However, allegations of persecution and even ethnic cleansing of the country's Rohingya Muslim minority were prevalent long before the full-scale civil war broke out. To the same token, some of the country's regional conflicts and uprisings have been ongoing for decades.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says the current conditions "do not suppor the safe and sustainable return of refugees from Myanmar." It also said it had not been involved in agreements like the one struck with Malaysia.

UNHCR data suggests that roughly 193,000 refugees from Myanmar are in Malaysia, around two-thirds of them Rohingya.

Activist James Bawi Thang Bik said that based on accounts of refugees who had previously been deported, they could risk detention or forced conscription.

"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," he said.

A wave of online agitation this year had amplified harassment and scrutiny of Rohingya in Malaysia.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said this month that he would invite Myanmar's military chief turned president, Min Aung Hlaing, for an official visit in return for accepting the Rohingya returns.

Myanmar's largely ostracized government, trying to portray itself as more politically legitimate five years after ousting former President Aung San Suu Kyi, is seeking greater acceptance among the international community.