Shafaqna English- Malaysia began sending back around 1,500 Myanmar nationals Tuesday, launching a plan that rights groups say may endanger migrants by returning them to the war-torn country.
The batch is the first of 5,000 Myanmar citizens Kuala Lumpur says agreed to “voluntary” repatriation from detention centres amidst a huge uptick in anti-migrant sentiment in Malaysia.
But advocacy organisations say dire conditions in detention centres may have forced their decisions, and they could face dangerous homecomings in Myanmar, where war has raged since 2021.
Neither Malaysia nor Myanmar have officially clarified the number of Rohingya in the first group, and there is concern they may be returned to a country where they face persecution, rights groups say, amounting to genocide.
Sources: Arab News