Amnesty urges Malaysia to halt planned return of 1,476 Rohingya to Myanmar

Amnesty International Malaysia has urged the Malaysian government to immediately halt the planned return of 1,476 Myanmar refugees, most of them Rohingya, to Myanmar, warning that conditions in Rakhine State remain unsafe.

The returns are being planned under an agreement with Myanmar authorities to repatriate 5,000 refugees, beginning with 1,476 people, mostly Rohingya, on September 29, despite the ongoing conflict and serious human rights violations in Myanmar.

“The situation in Myanmar remains fundamentally unsafe, and no assurance by both Myanmar and Malaysia authorities can change that reality,” said Divya Shesshsan Balakrishnan, a spokesperson for Amnesty International Malaysia.

She said the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where they face persecution or serious harm, was “non-negotiable”.

“Malaysia cannot, in good conscience, ignore the conflict, persecution, and grave risks people will face after being returned to Myanmar,” Shesshsan said.

Non-refoulement is a core principle of international law that prohibits countries from returning people to places where they face torture, cruel treatment, persecution or other serious harm.

Amnesty cited recent assessments by the UN human rights office, which on August 25 said that Myanmar’s human rights situation had “fallen to a new low”, with abuses against the Rohingya in Rakhine State worsening.

A UN report titled “Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar” said the Rohingya faced “systematic discrimination by all parties, with absolute impunity”.

The report said the Myanmar military, after losing much of its control over Rakhine State to the Arakan Army, had increasingly relied on airstrikes, including in civilian areas. It also said the military had forcibly conscripted around 125,000 people, many of them Rohingya, with some allegedly subjected to forced alcohol consumption, denial of rest and physical abuse.

The report further accused the Arakan Army of seizing Rohingya land, forcing people to build detention facilities and imposing strict controls on border crossings. Rohingya detainees reportedly described beatings, torture and other forms of abuse while in custody.

“Malaysia cannot simultaneously argue that Myanmar remains in crisis while preparing to return refugees,” Shesshsan said.

“It has spent years speaking out about the human rights situation in Myanmar, but the credibility of that position is now being betrayed by its own actions,” she added.

Amnesty also raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding Malaysia’s Refugee Registration Document (DPP), warning that decisions concerning refugee protection, detention and possible returns without adequate oversight could increase the risk of harm.

The organisation called on the Malaysian government to halt any returns that could expose refugees and asylum-seekers to persecution or serious human rights violations. It also urged Malaysia to strengthen independent oversight of its refugee management system and move towards protection-based, rights-based solutions.

Amnesty further urged Malaysia to use its influence within ASEAN to push for accountability and durable solutions for people displaced by the crisis in Myanmar. It also called on the country to ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol.

The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine State who have faced decades of discrimination and been denied citizenship, making them one of the world’s largest stateless populations.

In August 2017, more than 750,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh following a military crackdown in Rakhine State, joining earlier waves of refugees who had fled Myanmar.

According to UNHCR data from February 2026, Malaysia hosts 193,824 refugees and asylum-seekers from Myanmar, including 126,144 Rohingya, 15,774 Chin and 33,002 people from other ethnic groups who fled conflict or persecution in Myanmar.