Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will invite Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing to Malaysia to discuss a long-term plan for the safe repatriation of Rohingya refugees.
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will invite Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing to Malaysia for official talks aimed at finding a longer-term solution to the repatriation of Rohingya and other Myanmar nationals from Malaysia.
Anwar said the invitation was part of Malaysia’s efforts to engage directly with Myanmar on the return of those currently in the country, stressing that the issue could not be resolved simply by condemning the Myanmar government.
“I will invite the President of Myanmar to visit Malaysia officially,” he said in a podcast interview on Sembang OhhYeahh.
“Why am I inviting him? I want to tell him, we can be friends, we can trade, we can accept Myanmar, but Myanmar must accept (them). If they cannot take 200,000 at once, take them in stages.”
Anwar said Malaysia was prepared to assist with the repatriation process, including covering logistical costs, as part of efforts to encourage Myanmar to accept its nationals.
He said Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 people from Malaysia, with 1,500 expected to be returned within the next one to two weeks.
“Alhamdulillah, now they have agreed to 5,000. 1,500 will be brought back in the next one or two weeks,” he said.
However, Malaysia has previously announced that the first phase of its voluntary repatriation programme will involve 1,476 Myanmar nationals, out of the 5,000 agreed for repatriation in stages. The first batch is scheduled to return on Sept 29.
Anwar said Malaysia’s approach was based on negotiation rather than confrontation, arguing that Myanmar’s acceptance was necessary for any repatriation to take place.
“People shout, get angry at Myanmar. Who is going to take them? Where do you want to send them? They are not recognised as Myanmar citizens.
“When we want to send them back, they say, ‘No, it’s not my citizen.’ So that is why we have to negotiate,” he said.
He said Malaysia had previously been reluctant to engage with Myanmar because of its position within Asean, but maintained that direct engagement was necessary to address the Rohingya issue.
Anwar said he had met Min Aung Hlaing, then head of Myanmar’s military junta, in Bangkok about two years ago and subsequently held another meeting with him in Beijing.
During the meetings, he said, he pressed Myanmar to create conditions for the safe return of its nationals.
He said Malaysia’s negotiations also included seeking assurances that returnees would not be killed or persecuted and that areas to which they returned would be made safe.
“Can you guarantee their safety? Can you make the area a safe area?” he said.
Anwar said Malaysia was also supporting efforts involving Thailand and Bangladesh to facilitate the return of Rohingya from Bangladesh, where about 1.5 million Rohingya are currently hosted.
He said Malaysia’s initiative was only part of a wider repatriation effort, adding that Myanmar had agreed to take 50,000 people from Bangladesh and 5,000 from Malaysia initially.
“But it has to be fast,” he said.
Anwar stressed that any repatriation must be accompanied by safety guarantees.
“If they bring them back and they are all killed, like before, that cannot happen either.
“So our negotiation is not just negotiating to send them back. We ask, can you guarantee their safety? Can you make the area a safe area?” he said.
Anwar said Malaysia would continue to maintain a humanitarian approach while enforcing its laws against those who violated them.
“Malaysia must maintain the image of our country as one that has humanity.
“Arrest them, yes (if they do wrong). Detain them, yes. But don’t beat them, don’t abuse them, don’t insult them,” he said.
