MALAYSIA will not send any Rohingya refugees to Myanmar if there is a risk of them being mistreated or their lives threatened, though the country has agreed to accept 5,000 refugees from here.
Government spokesman Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said that the government, through Wisma Putra, will first examine several matters, including security aspects, before the process is implemented, including identifying the 5,000 refugees involved.
"Of course, Malaysia, as a responsible country, will not send back 5,000 Myanmar refugees if they are at risk of being mistreated or their lives are in danger.
"So, there are several things that we will examine first in discussions with the junta government in Myanmar before we implement it," he said at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting.
Fahmi said that the Myanmar government had previously expressed its willingness to accept the 5,000 refugees involved, but Malaysia still needs to examine the criteria set before the sending process is carried out.
"What has been informed by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the junta government in Myanmar is ready to accept these 5,000 Myanmar refugees, and Prime Minister has taken note that we cannot send them if their lives are in danger," he explained.
It is understood that approximately 190,000 refugees and asylum seekers are currently registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with more than 80 per cent of them being Rohingya and other ethnic groups from Myanmar.
The issue of the influx of Rohingya refugees in Malaysia over the past few years has often been the subject of public attention, particularly involving allegations of increased settlement in several locations, competition for low-income job opportunities, and concerns about security and public order raised by the community. – August 5, 2026
