Fortify Rights called on Malaysia to halt its plans to forcibly repatriate around 1,500 Myanmar nationals on Sept. 29 out of an original government announcement to send back 5,000 refugees to Myanmar over the coming months.
“Malaysia government should instead formally recognize their refugee status and guarantee refugees’ lawful stay and basic rights in the country,” Yap Lay Sheng, Fortify Rights’ Senior Human Rights Specialist, stated in a press release on Sept. 2.
Malaysian media reported on Sept. 16 that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will officially invite Myanmar regime leader Min Aung Hlaing to Kuala Lumpur to negotiate a refugee repatriation deal.
“The government’s cavalier disregard for refugee lives is unacceptable and a violation of its international obligations,” added Yap Lay Sheng.
The Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry stated that a total of 10,388 Myanmar nationals were being held at immigration detention depots nationwide as of August.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has documented that around 193,800 refugees from Myanmar are currently in Malaysia, including over 126,100 Rohingyas, 15,774 Chins and other ethnic minorities.
Malaysian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lukanisman Awang Sauni, told parliament on July 23, that the planned returns were intended to “ease the burden on Malaysia” as the refugees from Myanmar “have raised financial, social and security concerns.”
The Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry added that 4,008 people, primarily Rohingya, would be processed through the government’s Dokumen Pendaftaran Pelarian (DPP), or Refugee Registration Document.
The DPP process does not include any planned repatriation for refugees from Myanmar.
Fortify Rights stated that the Malaysian government first announced the DPP in July 2025, and began implementing it in the detention centers in January 2026.
It has promised that DPP registered refugees will be allowed to stay in Malaysia, and given legal access to fundamental services like education, employment and other basic services.
It highlighted that the DPP is “limited” and only 78 out of over 4,000 detainees were recognized as refugees under this program as of June, according to the Malaysian Home Affairs Minister.
The Malaysian Home Affairs Ministry directed the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Kuala Lumpur to stop registering new refugees in July.
The 5,000 Myanmar nationals, or refugees, scheduled to return to Myanmar will not come under the DPP, raising a serious risk of violating international law if they are repatriated.
Non-refoulement is a fundamental principle of international law that forbids countries from returning any person to a place where they would face torture, cruel treatment, persecution, or threats to their life or freedom.
Malaysia is not a signatory to the U.N. Refugee Convention which defines who a refugee is and sets the legal standards for their protection and treatment under international law.
The UNHCR Malaysia has urged a “careful consideration” to be given to the protection needs of all those concerned before they are returned to Myanmar.
Over 95 per cent of all refugees in Malaysia are from Myanmar, including the Rohingya, the Chin, the Karen, and the Mon, where conflict has intensified since the 2021 military coup.
