Nearly 1,500 migrants arrive in Myanmar from Malaysia despite UN warnings

Malaysia continues mass refugee deportations despite warnings from the UN about unsafe conditions in an active war zone.

A bus carrying Myanmar nationals being repatriated from Malaysia to the war-torn country heads towards the naval base in Lumut, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, on September 29, 2026 [AFP]

Nearly 1,500 Myanmar refugees and migrants deported from Malaysia have arrived in their war-ravaged country under an opaque repatriation scheme heavily criticised by human rights groups and the United Nations refugee agency.

The 1,479 returnees, transported from Malaysia on board two navy warships and a hospital ship on Tuesday, arrived in southern Yangon early Sunday, Nay Lin Tun, a regional government minister, said.

list 1 of 3 Malaysia gave refuge to Rohingya; now it wants them to go

list 2 of 3 Malaysia sends Rohingya back to Myanmar despite safety warnings

list 3 of 3 ‘They are crying’: Refugees in Malaysia in fear amid Myanmar deportation

They are among 5,000 Myanmar nationals who will be repatriated in stages from Malaysia, where more than 10,300 others are being held in immigration detention centres, according to the country’s Home Ministry.

Malaysia insists all returnees agreed to voluntary repatriation, but rights monitors have raised concerns that Myanmar refugees had little choice and warned that conditions for return remain unsafe.

The UN refugee agency said this past week that its staff were not allowed to meet the Myanmar nationals to confirm whether their decisions to return “were genuinely free and informed”.

Rohingya make up the majority of Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, but it remains unclear how many members of the persecuted Rohingya are among the returned group.

The deportation was carried out during escalating raids on refugee communities in Malaysia by immigration officials, which led to the detention of more than 50,000 refugees in 2026.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the repatriations in July against a backdrop of rising xenophobia towards refugees, particularly the Rohingya.

Kuala Lumpur is moving ahead with plans to return a second group of more than 3,500 refugees and migrants, saying they have caused financial, social and security burdens.

While Malaysia is not a party to the UN Refugee Convention and treats refugees as undocumented migrants, it is home to about 215,600 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

This includes more than 126,000 mainly Muslim Rohingya refugees.

Myanmar pledged last month that returns will be “safe and dignified”.

But Yap Lay Sheng, a senior human rights specialist with Fortify Rights, told the AFP news agency: “There’s no telling how the regime would treat returnees.”

Myanmar has been accused of committing genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority. Earlier this year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) opened its first genocide case it has heard in full in more than a decade.

The UNHCR and rights groups said returnees could face persecution and forced military conscription in an active war zone. Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war since the military seized power from the elected government in 2021.

The war has killed more than 100,000 people since the coup, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project.

Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing, the military coup leader who was installed as civilian president in April, is expected to visit Malaysia soon to discuss the repatriation scheme.

尽管联合国警告称，在战区内难民处境危险，马来西亚仍继续大规模遣返难民。

2026年9月29日，一辆载着从马来西亚遣返回饱受战争蹂躏的缅甸的国民的巴士驶向吉隆坡郊外的卢穆特海军基地。[法新社]

近 1500 名从马来西亚被遣返的缅甸难民和移民抵达饱受战争蹂躏的祖国，他们所依据的遣返计划并不透明，受到了人权组织和联合国难民署的强烈批评。

仰光地区政府部长奈林吞表示，周二乘坐两艘海军军舰和一艘医院船从马来西亚返回的1479名返乡人员于周日清晨抵达仰光南部。

马来西亚曾为罗兴亚人提供庇护，如今却想让他们离开（共3条记录，第1条）。

马来西亚不顾安全警告，将罗兴亚人遣返回缅甸（共3条记录，此为第2条）

列表 3/3 “他们在哭泣”：马来西亚难民因缅甸遣返而恐惧

据该国内政部称，他们是 5000 名将从马来西亚分阶段遣返回国的缅甸国民中的一部分，另有 10300 多名缅甸国民被关押在马来西亚的移民拘留中心。

马来西亚坚称所有返回者都同意自愿遣返，但人权观察员表示担忧，认为缅甸难民别无选择，并警告说返回条件仍然不安全。

联合国难民署上周表示，其工作人员被禁止与缅甸国民见面，以确认他们返回的决定是否“真正出于自由和知情”。

罗兴亚人占马来西亚缅甸难民和寻求庇护者的大多数，但目前尚不清楚有多少受迫害的罗兴亚人在返回的人群中。

此次驱逐行动是在马来西亚移民官员对难民社区进行不断升级的突袭行动期间进行的，导致2026年有超过5万名难民被拘留。

马来西亚总理安瓦尔·易卜拉欣于7月宣布了遣返计划，当时针对难民，特别是罗兴亚人的仇外情绪日益高涨。

吉隆坡正推进遣返第二批超过 3500 名难民和移民的计划，称他们造成了经济、社会和安全方面的负担。

虽然马来西亚不是联合国难民公约的缔约国，并将难民视为无证移民，但该国却收容了约 215,600 名在联合国难民署 (UNHCR) 登记的难民和寻求庇护者。

其中包括超过 126,000 名主要为穆斯林的罗兴亚难民。

缅甸上个月承诺，遣返过程将“安全且有尊严”。

但人权组织“强化人权”（Fortify Rights）的高级人权专家叶来生告诉法新社：“无法预料该政权会如何对待回国人员。”

缅甸被指控对罗兴亚穆斯林少数族裔实施种族灭绝。今年早些时候，国际法院启​​动了十多年来首次全面审理的种族灭绝案件。

联合国难民署和人权组织表示，返回者可能在战乱地区面临迫害和强制征兵。自2021年军方从民选政府手中夺取政权以来，缅甸一直深陷内战泥潭。

根据武装冲突地点和事件数据（ACLED）项目的数据，自政变以来，这场战争已造成超过 10 万人死亡。

缅甸发动军事政变并于今年4月就任文职总统的敏昂莱预计很快将访问马来西亚，讨论遣返计划。