Malaysia Returns 1,500 Myanmar Nationals Amid UN Warnings

Nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals arrived in southern Yangon early Sunday, sent back from Malaysia on two navy warships and a hospital ship. The group included 86 women and forms the first stage of a planned repatriation of 5,000. Families gathered to collect relatives, but some returnees were taken to other locations before reunions. Malaysia's Home Ministry said 10,388 other Myanmar nationals remain in immigration detention centers. U.N. special rapporteur Kelley E. Currie said Thursday that under international law Malaysia must uphold non-refoulement and prevent returns where people face a real risk of persecution, torture, or other serious human rights violations. "In my assessment, the risk of refoulement in the present circumstances is substantial," she said. Myanmar Foreign Ministry official Han Win Aung said the repatriation involved "genuine citizens." It was not clear if any returnees were Rohingya. CONTESTED No contested facts appear in the record. Myanmar's military seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi's government on Feb. 1, 2021. Malaysia hosts about 215,600 UNHCR-registered refugees and asylum seekers, including about 126,000 Rohingya, and is not a party to the UN Refugee Convention. Min Aung Hlaing, sworn in as president in April, is expected to visit Malaysia this month.