The head of Myanmar’s military-backed government is visiting Malaysia for talks with its leaders on Wednesday as the Southeast Asian nations work to repatriate thousands of Myanmarese nationals despite international criticism of the transfers.
State broadcaster MRTV reported that Min Aung Hlaing left for Malaysia from the military airport in the capital Naypyitaw on Wednesday morning.
During his two-day visit, he is expected to meet with Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim and attend a business forum alongside members of his cabinet.
Min Aung Hlaing’s trip highlights growing diplomatic engagement between Myanmar and member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations even though the bloc continues to exclude the country’s leadership from top-level meetings following the 2021 military takeover.
Malaysia last week returned some 1,500 Myanmarese nationals home. Human rights groups and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees condemned the repatriations, warning the volatile security and humanitarian conditions in the country meant the returnees could face persecution and forced military conscription within an active conflict zone.
Malaysian authorities previously said 5,000 Myanmar nationals, including those returned on Sunday, had agreed to be repatriated in stages. According to the home ministry, 11,804 Myanmarese citizens were being held in immigration detention depots across the country as of late August.
It remains unclear whether any of the returnees include members of the minority Muslim Rohingya, who face persecution in Myanmar and are denied citizenship.
Malaysia is home to some 215,600 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UN, including 126,000 Rohingya who form one of Southeast Asia’s largest refugee populations. Despite hosting these communities, Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and classifies refugees as undocumented migrants.
The Rohingya are facing growing public hostility in Malaysia due to their rising numbers, driven by local concerns over employment, public services, and security.
Mr Anwar defends the repatriation policy as a diplomatic effort to reach a long-term resolution, stating that Malaysia can’t host refugees indefinitely and that Myanmar must take responsibility for its citizens.
Min Aung Hlaing has increased his foreign engagements since taking over as president in April this year, following an election that critics have criticised as an attempt to consolidate the military’s hold over the country.
The trip was seen as part of an effort to rebuild regional relationships that deteriorated after he ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in February 2021. Min Aung Hlaing led the coup as the army chief.
The visit marks Min Aung Hlaing’s fifth trip to an Asean member state, following visits to Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, as he seeks to restore his standing within the 11-member bloc.
The visit drew criticism from activist groups like Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, an independent monitoring group, which warned that the meeting could help Min Aung Hlaing's administration bolster its international legitimacy through cooperation on refugee transfers.
"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 Rohingya," Sindy Ajara, Asia-Pacific analyst at the group, said in a statement.
