Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Myanmar military-backed leader Min Aung Hlaing travelled to Malaysia on Wednesday for talks with the country’s leaders, as both sides work on plans to repatriate thousands of Myanmar nationals from Malaysia despite criticism from the UN refugee agency and rights groups.
The two-day visit underlines growing engagement between Myanmar and some governments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, even though the regional bloc has kept Myanmar’s leaders out of top-level meetings since the 2021 military takeover that sparked armed resistance.
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State-run MRTV television said Min Aung Hlaing left from the military airport in Naypyitaw on Wednesday morning. He is expected to meet Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and attend a business dialogue with members of Anwar’s Cabinet.
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 repatriation, saying the security and humanitarian situation in parts of Myanmar remains volatile and that returnees could face persecution and forced military conscription in an active war zone.
Malaysia has said about 5,000 Myanmar nationals, including those sent back 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 returned 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 also faced growing public hostility in Malaysia over concerns linked to 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 stepped up diplomatic engagements since he was sworn in as president in April after an election that critics said was meant to cement the military’s hold on power. Wednesday’s trip is part of an effort to rebuild regional ties that worsened 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 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. In a statement, the group’s Asia-Pacific analyst Sindy Ajara said, “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 brings together Myanmar’s push to rebuild regional ties and Malaysia’s refugee repatriation policy, both of which continue to face close scrutiny.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
