Rights groups warn returnees to Myanmar could face forced conscription, arbitrary detention, torture and forced labour
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenIman Muttaqin YusofPublished: 5:00pm, 30 Jul 2026Updated: 5:05pm, 30 Jul 2026Malaysia’s claim that Myanmar has agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya has raised hopes of easing pressure on the country’s strained refugee system but also drawn alarm from activists over the risks of returning members of the persecuted minority to a place still engulfed by conflict.Rights groups say any movement of refugees into Myanmar – where the military is fighting multiple conflicts and most Rohingya remain denied citizenship – will need to be voluntary and backed by guarantees of safety, legal status and freedom of movement.
The announcement covers only a fraction of the 126,144 Rohingya registered with the United Nations refugee agency in Malaysia, but experts say it will mark a rare attempt to return refugees from a persecuted minority to their country of origin.
Malaysia had 215,600 registered refugees and asylum seekers at the end of February, nearly 194,000 of them from Myanmar.
