Malaysia says it will not send 5,000 refugees back to Myanmar if officials conclude that doing so would endanger their lives. The position comes after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said last week that Myanmar has agreed to receive the group in a rare repatriation effort involving the Rohingya minority. Malaysia is carrying out screening to determine whether the refugees meet relevant criteria, with authorities assessing risks of persecution and threats to personal safety. Malaysia’s government spokesman and communications minister Fahmi Fadzil says Malaysia will still proceed with preparations, but only if the risk assessment indicates it is safe. Fahmi says Malaysia cannot return people if their lives are threatened, and that the foreign ministry and other agencies are reviewing the criteria used to decide eligibility. Rights groups have warned that even after screening, refugees may remain at risk of persecution in Myanmar. Myanmar authorities have not issued a public response to the plan, according to the reports. Malaysia is hosting more than 215,000 refugees overall.
Malaysia says it will not repatriate Myanmar refugees if their lives are at risk
Malaysia says it will not send 5,000 refugees back to Myanmar if officials conclude that doing so would endanger their lives. The position comes after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said last...
- Malaysia plans to repatriate 5,000 refugees from the Rohingya minority to Myanmar, after Myanmar agrees to receive them.
- Malaysia says it will not return refugees if officials determine they would face persecution or threats to their lives.
- Authorities are screening the refugees as part of assessing eligibility and safety criteria.
- The repatriation is being prepared even as rights groups warn return could expose people to continued risk.
- Myanmar authorities have made no public comment on the plan.
Authorities are screening 5,000 refugees as rights groups warn they remain at risk of persecution in Myanmar.
2 hours agoThe statement follows Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced plans to return 5,000 refugees to Myanmar.
3 hours agoKUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia will not send 5,000 refugees back to Myanmar if authorities conclude their lives would be at risk, a government spokesman said Wednesday, while preparations continued for the potential repatriation. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced last week that Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 members of the persecuted Rohingya minority, in a rare repatriation push that has prompted concern from rights groups. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, without specifying the refugees' ethnicity, said at a news briefing that "Malaysia, as a responsible country, will not send them back if they would either be persecuted or their lives would be threatened." "The junta government in Myanmar is ready to receive them, but we will examine what the criteria are. And if appropriate, we will implement" the repatriation plan, he said. "We cannot send them back if their lives are threatened. So there are several matters that are being looked into by the foreign ministry." Myanmar authorities have made no public comment on the plan. Malaysia hosts more than 215,000 refugees an
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