Nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals repatriated from Malaysia as UN warns of risks

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals who were sent back from Malaysia arrived in the country's largest city on Sunday, despite warnings from the United Nations refugee agency and rights groups that conditions for return remain unsafe.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, triggering widespread opposition and plunging large parts of the country into conflict.

The returnees, including 86 women, have been convicted of staying illegally and other immigration violations in Malaysia, according to reports from Myanmar state media. They were transported from Malaysia aboard two navy warships and a hospital ship last Tuesday. They arrived in southern Yangon early Sunday, Nay Lin Tun, a regional government minister, said.

The returnees are among 5,000 Myanmar nationals who will be repatriated in stages from Malaysia, where 10,388 others were being held at immigration detention centers, according to Malaysia's Home Ministry.

The U.N. high commissioner for refugees and 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.

"Under international law, the Government of Malaysia is obligated to uphold the principle of non-refoulement and prevent the return of individuals to situations where they face a real risk of persecution, torture, or other serious human rights violations," Kelley E. Currie, the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, said in a statement on Thursday. "In my assessment, the risk of refoulement in the present circumstances is substantial."

It was unclear if any of the returnees included minority Muslim Rohingya, who are facing persecution in Myanmar and have been denied citizenship.

Myanmar Foreign Ministry official Han Win Aung told The Associated Press that the repatriation involved "genuine citizens."

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.

Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of Myanmar's military-backed government who was sworn in as president in April, is expected to visit Malaysia this month to discuss the refugee and migrant issues.