Myanmar’s regime leader departed for Malaysia to hold talks with its leaders on Wednesday, as the two Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members states work on a repatriation plan for thousands of Myanmar nationals across Malaysia held at immigration detention centers despite international criticism.
Regime media reported that Min Aung Hlaing departed for Malaysia from the capital Naypyidaw on Oct. 7. During his two-day visit, he is expected to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and attend a business dialogue with members of his regime.
Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Malaysia highlights the growing engagement between Myanmar and some ASEAN member states, even as the regional bloc has continued to exclude senior regime officials from its high-level meetings and summits since 2021 after Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup that has triggered an armed uprising nationwide against it.
His visit comes four days after nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals arrived back in Myanmar from Malaysia.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as well as rights groups have criticized the repatriation, saying the security and humanitarian situation in parts of Myanmar remains volatile and returnees could face persecution and forced military conscription in an active war zone.
Malaysia says about 5,000 Myanmar nationals — including those returned Sunday — have agreed to be repatriated in stages from Malaysia.
As of the end of August, 11,804 Myanmar nationals were being held at immigration detention depots across Malaysia, according to Malaysia’s Home Ministry.
It was unclear if any of the returnees include Rohingya, who are facing persecution in Myanmar and have been denied citizenship.
Malaysia is home to about 215,600 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR, including about 126,000 Rohingya who make up one of Southeast Asia’s largest refugee communities.
Despite hosting them, Malaysia is not a party to the U.N. Refugee Convention and treats refugees as undocumented migrants.
Rohingya have faced growing public hostility in Malaysia due to their increasing numbers, fueled by concerns over jobs, public services and security.
Anwar has defended the repatriation policy as a diplomatic effort to find a long-term solution, saying Malaysia cannot host refugees indefinitely and Myanmar must take responsibility for its citizens.
Min Aung Hlaing has stepped up his diplomatic engagements since he was inaugurated Myanmar’s president by a pro-military parliament on April 10 following an election that critics say was designed to cement the military’s hold on power.
Min Aung Hlaing’s trip is part of an attempt to rebuild regional ties that deteriorated after he ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) government on Feb. 1, 2021. He has held the 81-year-old Nobel laureate in detention for over five years.
This visit also marks Min Aung Hlaing’s fifth visit to an ASEAN member state, following Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, as he seeks to restore his standing within the 11-member regional bloc.
The visit has drawn criticism from activist groups such as Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), an independent monitoring group, which said the meeting could help Min Aung Hlaing’s pro-military administration bolster its international legitimacy through cooperation on the refugee issue.
“Without any meaningful action to resolve the civil war in Myanmar, the repatriation remains a risky move, putting immediate danger to the refugees’ lives, especially for Rohingyas,” Sindy Ajara, Asia-Pacific analyst at the group, said in a statement.
AP
