Malaysia offers to host Myanmar leader to discuss Rohingya repatriation

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has offered to host Myanmar’s military leader, President Min Aung Hlaing, for an official visit. The proposal is intended to facilitate the repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

Anwar Ibrahim stated that the invitation is a diplomatic effort to encourage Myanmar to accept the Rohingya population back into the country. He noted that while Malaysia follows ASEAN’s stance of not seeking direct relations with Myanmar, a different approach is necessary to negotiate the movement of refugees.

If accepted, the visit would represent a further step toward international legitimacy for Min Aung Hlaing, who has recently visited several ASEAN member states including Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Malaysia currently hosts more than 126,000 Rohingya refugees.