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[POLITICS] · Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma) · 12 sources

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Myanmar to accept 5,000 Rohingya refugees from Malaysia

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that Myanmar has agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya asylum seekers currently in Malaysia. The statement was made at a campaign rally in Negeri Sembilan ahead of state elections. Malaysia hosts roughly 126,000 Rohingya registered with the UNHCR, the world’s largest stateless population, many of whom have faced recent tension with local communities.

Earlier in the week more than 100 Rohingya gathered outside the UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur after claiming eviction in Penang. Police detained them, reviewed their UNHCR documents and later released 109 detainees, relocating them to various sites in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang. Malaysia, which is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, treats asylum seekers as illegal migrants. Both Myanmar’s presidential office and the UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur did not immediately comment on the repatriation deal, though the UN refugee agency said it remains committed to working with Malaysia on refugee management.

Entities

Anwar Ibrahim · Fadil Marsus · Government of Myanmar · Malaysia · Myanmar · Rohingya refugees · UNHCR · United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

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