166 Civil Society Groups Urge Malaysia to Halt Rohingya Deportation Plan

September 24, 2026 at 02:58 PM2 min

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More than 160 civil society organizations urged Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to halt plans to deport Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, citing risks of violence and forced conscription. The groups issued their call ahead of the scheduled return of 1,476 Myanmar nationals on September 29 aboard two Myanmar Navy warships and a hospital ship. Anwar's government has already reached a deal with Naypyidaw for the voluntary repatriation of some 5,000 refugees.

Key Facts

166 civil society organizations, including Malaysian, Myanmar, and international groups, urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to halt the deportation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.
The first 1,476 Myanmar nationals are scheduled to return to Myanmar on September 29 aboard two Myanmar Navy warships and a hospital ship.
Malaysia has reached a deal with Naypyidaw for the voluntary repatriation of about 5,000 refugees, roughly half of the 10,388 Myanmar nationals held in immigration detention depots.
As of February, 193,800 refugees from Myanmar were registered with the UN refugee agency in Kuala Lumpur, of which 126,000 were Rohingya.

Civil Society Appeal

The civil society groups expressed grave concern about the planned deportations, contrasting Malaysia's treatment of the Rohingya with its vocal advocacy of the Palestinian cause. They criticized Anwar's willingness to welcome military-appointed leader Min Aung Hlaing, stating that Malaysia's engagement with the junta must not come at the expense of its own reputation and integrity. The groups warned that refoulement of the Rohingya by Malaysia or any ASEAN member state would make them complicit in the ongoing genocide of the Rohingya. They called for an immediate halt to the planned deportations of all Myanmar nationals, pending a comprehensive assessment of the situation in Myanmar.

Deportation Plan

Last week, Anwar said he planned to invite Min Aung Hlaing to Malaysia to expedite the repatriation of tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have sought sanctuary in Malaysia over the past decade. The first group of 1,476 Myanmar nationals is scheduled to return on September 29 aboard two Myanmar Navy warships and a hospital ship. The civil society groups pointed to the continuing conflict in Rakhine State and a pattern of forced conscription of Rohingya populations by the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army. They stated that sending Rohingya into a situation of forced conscription will prolong and intensify rather than reduce the conflict.

Refugee Context

Large numbers of Rohingya have flowed into Malaysia since 2017, when the Myanmar military launched an ethnic cleansing campaign that pushed more than 740,000 from their homes in Rakhine State into Bangladesh. As of February, 193,800 refugees from Myanmar were registered with the UN refugee agency in Kuala Lumpur, of which 126,000 were Rohingya. Malaysia does not recognize any of them as refugees.