More than 400 ethnic Rakhine deported from Malaysia have begun returning home since Tuesday after being held in military custody since arriving back to Myanmar on Oct. 4, according to family members. “Everyone has been allowed to go home, but if there is no one to come and collect them, they are not permitted to leave,” a father of one of the returnees told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
The 400 ethnic Rakhine were among 1,476 Myanmar nationals deported from Malaysia via three Myanmar Navy vessels on Sept. 27. All 1,476 arrived at Yangon’s Thilawa Port on Oct. 4 but the 400 ethnic Rakhine were transferred to temporary facilities in Yangon’s Thanlyin and Hlaingtharyar townships. Relatives told DVB that they were offered jobs if they stayed in Yangon.
On Oct. 26, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told parliament that he instructed Johan Ariff Abdul Razak, Chargé d’ Affaires at the Malaysian embassy in Yangon, to investigate reports that the 400 returnees remained in detention and to verify their physical condition and legal status.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and regime leader Min Aung Hlaing met in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 7-8 to discuss a bilateral agreement over the return of an additional 3,5000 Myanmar nationals by November.
Malaysia’s refugee repatriation plan has drawn criticism from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and human rights groups, which argue that conditions in Myanmar do not support safe, voluntary, and dignified returns due to the conflict since the 2021 military coup.
