Malaysia pauses plan to return 5,000 Myanmar Rohingya refugees pending safety review

Malaysia announced it will not proceed with the repatriation of about 5,000 Myanmar refugees, most of them Rohingya, until it can confirm that their lives will not be at risk. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the proposal followed rising tensions with local communities, and Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil added that the government will study the criteria with the Myanmar junta before any handover. The junta has indicated readiness to receive the returnees, but Malaysia insists it will not send back anyone who could face persecution.

Human Rights Watch urged the authorities to reverse the plan, warning of possible rights abuses. The issue comes amid a broader surge in anti‑Rohingya sentiment in Malaysia, including school closures, arrests of refugees outside the UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur, and online hate campaigns. About 126,000 Rohingya are registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia, a country that has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention and offers no formal asylum process.