Myanmar on Thursday pledged to ensure the “safe and dignified” return of its citizens displaced overseas, following concerns from the United Nations and rights groups over the planned repatriation of around 1,500 people from Malaysia.
At the same time, Myanmar’s foreign ministry reiterated its rejection of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority. Campaigners fear the planned returns could expose Rohingya to renewed danger, reports AFP.
Malaysia said in July that Myanmar had agreed to receive 5,000 Rohingya, a community that has faced violent discrimination in Myanmar since 2017.
The two countries say an initial group of nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals will return voluntarily in late September. However, it remains unclear how many Rohingya will be part of the first group.
“Myanmar is committed to working closely with Bangladesh and friendly countries to facilitate the voluntary return of verified displaced persons in a safe and dignified manner,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya escaped Myanmar following a brutal military crackdown that began in 2017. The crackdown forms the basis of a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
More than 1.2 million Rohingya are now living across the border in Bangladesh, in the world’s largest refugee settlement. Despite repeated discussions about repatriation, little progress has been made.
Malaysia is home to another 126,000 Rohingya, along with displaced Myanmar citizens from different ethnic groups.
Myanmar has for years denied that the Rohingya have a distinct heritage, claiming they are descendants of immigrants from Bangladesh. It also refuses to recognise the term “Rohingya”.
The foreign ministry repeated that position on Thursday, saying the term “falsely claims an ethnic identity which has never existed in Myanmar”, while condemning recent commemorations of Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day in some countries.
Malaysia’s Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has said his country will not repatriate Myanmar nationals “if they would either be persecuted or their lives would be threatened”.
Rights monitors have warned that sending Rohingya back to a country where their identity is denied could expose them to another wave of abuses.
A report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, published on Wednesday, concluded that “conditions for their voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return do not currently exist”.
Many migrants in Malaysia are also being held in detention centres, raising questions about whether they can make free decisions about returning to Myanmar.
