Malaysia invites Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing to speed Rohingya repatriation

September 16, 2026 at 09:39 PM2 min

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Malaysia has invited Myanmar's military ruler Min Aung Hlaing for an official visit to expedite the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made the offer on Wednesday, saying Malaysia can accept Myanmar if Myanmar accepts the Rohingya back. The invitation, if accepted, would mark Min Aung Hlaing's fifth visit to an ASEAN member state.

Key Facts

Malaysia hosts more than 126,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
Myanmar's military-backed government agreed in July to take back 5,000 Rohingya refugees.
Malaysia has finalized the first phase of a voluntary repatriation program that will see at least 1,500 eligible Myanmar refugees return home on September 29.
A civil war in Myanmar has killed an estimated 100,000 people since the 2021 coup.

The Invitation

Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made the offer on Wednesday, inviting Myanmar's military ruler Min Aung Hlaing for an official visit. Anwar said the invitation was aimed at expediting the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, stating, "I invited him to say we can be friends, we can trade, we can accept Myanmar, but Myanmar must accept them [Rohingya refugees] back." If accepted, the visit would mark Min Aung Hlaing's fifth trip to an ASEAN member state, following visits to Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Min Aung Hlaing, a retired general who seized power in a 2021 coup, has been seeking international legitimacy since becoming president in April.

Rohingya Repatriation Program

Malaysia has finalized the first phase of a voluntary repatriation program that will see at least 1,500 eligible Myanmar refugees return home on September 29. Prime Minister Anwar announced in July that Myanmar's military-backed government had agreed to take back 5,000 members of the persecuted Rohingya minority. Malaysia hosts more than 126,000 Rohingya from Myanmar, despite not being a signatory to the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention. A civil war in Myanmar has killed an estimated 100,000 people, with the military widely accused of atrocities against the mostly Muslim Rohingya population, which the military has denied.

ASEAN Relations

ASEAN has refused to recognize Myanmar's election and has barred Myanmar's leaders from its summits since 2021. Malaysia has been one of the most vocal critics of Myanmar's former military government and has repeatedly expressed frustration at its refusal to cease hostilities. Anwar defended the invitation, saying, "To me, that's better diplomacy than just shouting angrily at Myanmar. Who's going to take them? Where do we send them? They don't even have Myanmar citizenship." He added that Malaysia, following ASEAN, does not want direct relations with Myanmar, but questioned, "So who are we supposed to negotiate with?"