Story perspectives

Myanmar Agrees to Receive 5,000 Rohingya, Malaysia Pays Costs

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 11:37 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim invited Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing for an official visit, demanding Rohingya repatriation.
Myanmar agreed to receive 5,000 Rohingya refugees, with Malaysia covering repatriation costs.
Malaysia completed a first-phase voluntary repatriation of 1,500 refugees in September.
Malaysia hosts over 126,000 Rohingya refugees despite not signing the 1951 Refugee Convention.
ASEAN has not recognized Myanmar's election and has barred its leaders from summits since 2021.

History

Historical Context

In August 2017, a military crackdown forced over 1 million Rohingya to flee Myanmar, the largest Asian exodus since the Vietnam War, leading Bangladesh and Myanmar to sign a tentative repatriation deal in November 2017. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s 2024 invitation to commander Min Aung Hlaing to discuss a 5,000-person voluntary return echoes those earlier talks, while ASEAN’s enforcement has prompted calls for a binding regional refugee protocol.

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Story summary

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim invited Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing for an official visit, demanding Rohingya repatriation.
Myanmar agreed to receive 5,000 Rohingya refugees, with Malaysia covering repatriation costs.
Malaysia completed a first-phase voluntary repatriation of 1,500 refugees in September.
Malaysia hosts over 126,000 Rohingya refugees despite not signing the 1951 Refugee Convention.
ASEAN has not recognized Myanmar's election and has barred its leaders from summits since 2021.

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