The Country Is Not a Signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and Does Not Formally Recognise Refugee Status

Malaysia said it will not repatriate 5,000 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar if their lives would be at risk, as authorities screen them amid rights groups' warnings of persecution. Government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said on Wednesday that the foreign and home ministries were still reviewing the repatriation plan announced last week by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Malaysia hosts more than 215,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UN refugee agency, including over 126,000 Rohingya from Myanmar, its largest refugee community.

The country is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and does not formally recognise refugee status. Many Rohingya fled Myanmar during the military's 2017 crackdown. Rights groups say refugees in Malaysia have faced growing online hate campaigns and disinformation, fuelling xenophobia.

The announcement came after refugee schools were forced to shut down amid a surge in online hate speech, refugees were evicted from informal settlements in Penang state, and more than 100 Rohingya were briefly detained after gathering outside the UN refugee agency's office in Kuala Lumpur; they were later released after officials confirmed they held valid UN documentation. Fadzil said Malaysia would only proceed after assessing whether refugees would face persecution or threats to their lives. "Malaysia, as a responsible country, will not return the 5,000 Myanmar refugees if they would either be persecuted or their lives would be threatened, he told a news briefing.

He added that Myanmar's military government, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, had indicated it was ready to receive the refugees, but Malaysia would first assess the criteria. Human Rights Watch urged Malaysia to reverse course, warning that Rohingya remain at risk of persecution in Myanmar. "The Malaysian government should show regional leadership in responding to the crisis in Myanmar rather than forcibly returning people who are the targets of the junta's brutality, said Bryony Lau, the organisation's deputy director for Asia.

Malaysia's main Rohingya rights group also urged the government to halt the plan. Myanmar's military authorities have not publicly commented.