Malaysia's Anwar Invites Myanmar Junta Chief on Rohingya — SkimNews
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- Anwar Ibrahim invited Myanmar's Min Aung Hlaing for an official visit on the condition that Myanmar accepts Rohingya refugees back, saying: "we can be friends, we can trade... but Myanmar must accept them back."
- If it goes ahead, Malaysia would become the fifth ASEAN state to host Min Aung Hlaing (after Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam) and the first from maritime Southeast Asia, whose governments have generally been more critical of Myanmar's military since the 2021 coup.
- Anwar framed engagement as pragmatic diplomacy, noting Malaysia is not ready to recognize Myanmar's new government but needs "an authority to negotiate with" on refugee returns.
- Malaysia's immigration authorities have already struck a deal with Naypyidaw for "voluntary" repatriation of ~5,000 Rohingya, with the first 1,476 scheduled to return September 29 aboard two Myanmar Navy warships and a hospital ship.
- Anwar said the government was ultimately planning to send back 200,000 people, potentially in stages if Myanmar cannot receive them all at once.
- UNHCR has raised concerns about the September 29 repatriation, stating that under customary international law no one should be sent to a country where their rights may be at risk and that returns must be "voluntary, based on an informed decision, and take place in conditions of safety and dignity."
- The Naypyidaw government may lack practical authority over Rakhine State, where the Arakan Army has largely controlled northern townships like Maungdaw and Buthidaung since late 2023 — precisely the areas where most Rohingya formerly lived.
Why it matters: Around 126,000 Rohingya asylum seekers are registered with UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia's deal to send the first 1,476 back on September 29 is the most concrete repatriation push yet. But the arrangement is doubly fragile: UNHCR publicly questions whether returns can be "voluntary" amid ongoing conflict, and the junta may not control the Rakhine State territory Rohingya would be returned to, with the Arakan Army in effective control since late 2023.
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