Min Aung Hlaing visits Malaysia amid Myanmar repatriation push

Myanmar's military-backed leader Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday for talks, as the two countries push ahead with plans to repatriate thousands of Myanmar nationals from Malaysia despite international criticism. His visit underlines growing engagement between Myanmar and some governments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, even though the bloc has continued to keep Myanmar's leaders out of top-level meetings since the 2021 military takeover that triggered armed resistance.

The visit comes four days after nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals returned to Myanmar from Malaysia. The UN high commissioner for refugees and rights groups have criticised the repatriations, saying security and humanitarian conditions in parts of Myanmar remain volatile and that returnees could face persecution and forced military conscription in an active war zone.

Malaysian officials received Min Aung Hlaing after he landed at Kuala Lumpur Airport. He is due to meet Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday. Myanmar's Foreign Ministry said Min Aung Hlaing attended and spoke at a private business dialogue on Wednesday aimed at improving investment and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Malaysia has said about 5,000 Myanmar nationals, including those returned on Sunday, have agreed to be repatriated in stages. According to Malaysia's Home Ministry, 11,804 Myanmar nationals were being held at immigration detention depots across the country at the end of August. It was not clear whether any of those sent back included minority Muslim Rohingya, who face persecution in Myanmar and have been denied citizenship.

Malaysia is home to about 215,600 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR, including about 126,000 Rohingya, one of Southeast Asia's largest refugee communities. Even so, Malaysia is not a party to the UN Refugee Convention and treats refugees as undocumented migrants. Rohingya have faced growing public hostility in Malaysia over their rising numbers, driven by concerns about jobs, public services and security. Anwar has defended the repatriation policy as a diplomatic effort to find a long-term solution, saying Malaysia cannot host refugees indefinitely and that Myanmar must take responsibility for its citizens.

Min Aung Hlaing has increased his diplomatic engagements since being sworn in as president in April after an election that critics said was designed to cement the military's hold on power. The trip is part of an effort to rebuild regional ties that weakened after he ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government in February 2021 while serving as army chief. It is his fifth visit to an ASEAN member state after Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, as he seeks to restore his standing within the 11-member bloc.

The visit has also drawn criticism from activist groups, including Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, an independent monitoring group, which said the meeting could help Min Aung Hlaing's administration strengthen its international legitimacy through cooperation on the refugee issue. Sindy Ajara, the group's Asia-Pacific analyst, said in a statement: "Without any meaningful action to resolve the civil war in Myanmar, the repatriation remains a risky move, putting immediate danger to the refugees' lives, especially for Rohingyas." Overall, the visit has brought the repatriation issue, Malaysia's refugee policy and Myanmar's renewed regional outreach into sharper focus.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends