Myanmar Ready to Repatriate 5,000 Refugees by Sea

PUTRAJAYA: Myanmar has expressed its readiness to repatriate around 5,000 of its nationals currently seeking refuge in Malaysia by ship, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Mohamad said the matter was conveyed by his Myanmar counterpart during a recent meeting, but stressed that security considerations and screening procedures must be addressed before any repatriation takes place.

“When I met the new Foreign Minister in Myanmar, they expressed their readiness to bring back these 5,000 people by ship. But the issue is the safety of these 5,000 people.

“When we send them back, will they be safe or what will happen to them? That also needs to be considered,” he told a press conference after attending the 59th ASEAN Day celebration here today.

Yesterday, the Home Ministry said it would release preliminary data on the number of Myanmar refugees through the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme by the fourth quarter of this year.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the Immigration Department was currently collecting the data in collaboration with relevant parties.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said the Foreign Ministry would only act as a facilitator in the repatriation process after the Home Ministry and Myanmar authorities had made the necessary decisions.

He said the approximately 5,000 refugees had already been identified by Malaysian authorities for repatriation, although no specific timeframe had been set.

“There is no timeframe, but it needs to be done soon. It is up to them (Myanmar), and they need to conduct the screening.

“But these 5,000 people have already been identified by the Malaysian authorities as needing to be sent back,” he said.

Mohamad also stressed that the refugee issue in Myanmar should not be viewed solely from the perspective of the Rohingya, as various other ethnic groups from the country were also among those seeking refuge.

He said these included the Chin and Karen ethnic groups.

“This is an internal problem of the country and we are not talking about Rohingya refugees. We are talking about refugees in various forms,” he said.

He said Malaysia viewed the issue as one that needed to be addressed collectively within the ASEAN framework, as the refugee crisis in Myanmar also affected other member states.

Mohamad said the principle of ASEAN centrality was important in addressing the Myanmar crisis, as the situation was no longer merely an internal issue but also had implications for regional security and stability.

He said ASEAN’s approach of “burden sharing” in addressing the issue was not limited to dividing responsibility for receiving refugees, but also included collective efforts to pressure Myanmar to end violence against its people.

“ASEAN is putting pressure on Myanmar to stop the violence against its people, so that there will be no more new refugees leaving.

“And those who are outside, not only in Malaysia but also in other countries including Bangladesh, can return,” he said.

Mohamad said the most important consideration before any repatriation was carried out was ensuring security in Myanmar.

He said repatriating refugees without adequate security guarantees could result in them fleeing the country again.

“The most important thing is that there must first be security within Myanmar itself so that these people are not sent back and then leave again. There is no point. That is what we want to see,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohamad stressed that the Five-Point Consensus must remain the core mechanism for ASEAN in addressing the Myanmar crisis.

He said any changes to the consensus would have to be discussed and decided by ASEAN leaders.

Mohamad said ASEAN foreign ministers had been tasked by the bloc’s leaders during the ASEAN leaders’ retreat in Cebu recently to assess the latest developments and determine the necessary actions, particularly regarding the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus.

“What we want to see is continued pressure on Myanmar to enforce or implement the consensus so that peace in Myanmar can be restored,” he said.