October 8: Myanmar has agreed to take back a large number of its nationals from all ethnic groups who are in Malaysia illegally, on a “voluntary, dignified and safe” basis, after talks between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Myanmar’s military-backed president, Min Aung Hlaing, in Putrajaya on Thursday, Malay Mail reported. The two sides also pledged closer cooperation in trade, investment, education, agri-food, energy, healthcare and capacity building. Malaysia’s government spokesman, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, said the meeting “does not mean we recognise the Myanmar government”. No agreements or memorandums were reported signed.
Key highlights
- Anwar said Myanmar had committed that its field hospitals “should allow any person without discrimination” and to “engage with all parties to avoid further escalation of violence”, and that he would convey these positions to colleagues in Malaysia and ASEAN, Malay Mail reported.
- Anwar said bilateral economic activity had risen by more than 140% year on year, according to Malay Mail. He did not give the base figure.
- Fahmi said the aim was to resolve the “longstanding issue of Myanmar refugees in our country” through official channels, covering people from Myanmar’s 19 ethnic groups in Malaysia.
- Critics quoted by The Irrawaddy before the talks said the visit gives Min Aung Hlaing the recognition he seeks and helps Anwar with anti-migrant sentiment at home. Human Rights Watch said the invitation “is an invitation for further abuse”, Malaysiakini reported.
- Whether Rohingya, the largest group of Myanmar refugees in Malaysia, will be among those sent back remains unclear in the reports.
What happened on Thursday
Anwar welcomed Min Aung Hlaing at Perdana Putra at about 9 am, followed by a closed-door meeting and delegation talks, Malay Mail and Bernama reported. Anwar then hosted an official luncheon at the Seri Perdana complex, attended by Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Human Resources Minister R. Ramanan, Agriculture Minister Mohamad Sabu and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Johari Abdul Ghani, Malay Mail said. The repatriation commitment and the list of cooperation areas were announced at a joint press conference.
Anwar said the two countries “have had excellent relations for a long time” but that recent events had slowed progress, according to Malay Mail. Malaysia’s foreign ministry had said before the visit that it followed the decision of the 48th ASEAN Summit in May to pursue “constructive and principled engagement” with Myanmar, Bernama reported.
The numbers do not match
Figures on how many people have already been sent back, and how many are at stake, differ between sources. We show them side by side.
| What is counted | One figure | Another figure |
|---|---|---|
| Myanmar nationals sent back from Malaysia since January | About 10,000 (Anwar in parliament on October 6, via Al Jazeera) | About 8,000 received (Myanmar’s military government, via The Irrawaddy) |
| Myanmar nationals held in Malaysian immigration detention, end of August | 11,804 (Home Ministry, via AP) | More than 10,000 (The Irrawaddy) |
| Refugees from Myanmar in Malaysia | About 193,000 (UN data, via Al Jazeera) | About 190,000 refugees and asylum seekers (UNHCR, via The Irrawaddy) |
| Planned staged returns | About 5,000 have agreed to be repatriated in stages (Malaysia, via AP) | First batch of 5,000 promised by Anwar (The Irrawaddy) |
| Returned by sea the week before the visit | Nearly 1,500 (Al Jazeera, AP, The Irrawaddy) | — |
The gap of about 2,000 between Malaysia’s figure for returns and the number Myanmar’s authorities say they received is not explained in the reports we read. The UN refugee agency has said its staff were not allowed to meet returnees to check whether their decisions were “genuinely free and informed”, according to Al Jazeera.
How the policy changed
| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | At the UN General Assembly, Anwar called for the immediate implementation of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus and said the continued atrocities in Myanmar must end | Malaysiakini |
| 2025 | As ASEAN chair, Malaysia took a hard line on Myanmar’s military government | The Irrawaddy |
| April 2026 | Min Aung Hlaing sworn in as president after an election critics say was designed to cement military rule | AP |
| May 2026 | 48th ASEAN Summit agrees on “constructive and principled engagement” with Myanmar | Bernama |
| September 16, 2026 | Anwar says Malaysia, in line with ASEAN, is not ready to recognise Myanmar’s new government but needs an authority to negotiate refugee returns | Malaysiakini |
| Late September–early October | Nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals returned by sea | Al Jazeera, AP |
| October 7–8, 2026 | Min Aung Hlaing’s two-day official visit; talks, joint press conference and luncheon in Putrajaya | Malay Mail, Bernama, AP |
What critics say
Debbie Stothard, founder of the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma, told The Irrawaddy that Anwar was losing popularity ahead of a general election and wanted to be seen acting on refugees, while Min Aung Hlaing wanted “the international community to see that he’s now normalized in ASEAN.” Myanmar activist Thinzar Shunlei Yi said: “Shaking hands with war criminals is a threat to humanity.” Former Malaysian lawmaker Charles Santiago wrote that welcoming him as president “will bury Asean’s 5PC for good”, Malaysiakini reported. Anwar has defended engagement on the ground that Malaysia cannot host displaced people indefinitely, AP and Malaysiakini reported.
What it means
For Malaysia, the visit buys a commitment from Naypyidaw to accept returns, which the government can present at home as progress on a costly problem. For Min Aung Hlaing, it is his fifth visit to an ASEAN member and a formal welcome with a guard of honour, even as ASEAN keeps Myanmar’s leaders out of its top meetings, AP reported. The commitments Anwar listed, on field hospitals and talks with all parties, are pledges, not agreements, and no mechanism to monitor them was announced. The fate of Rohingya refugees, whose safety Anwar himself acknowledged as a concern, according to Al Jazeera, remains the central unanswered question.
What to watch
- Any written agreement on returns, including who is covered and whether UNHCR is given access.
- How Anwar presents Myanmar’s commitments to other ASEAN members, and their response.
- Further sailings or flights carrying Myanmar nationals home in the coming weeks.
- Reaction from Myanmar’s National Unity Government and ethnic armed groups, not reported on Thursday.
Earlier coverage: Min Aung Hlaing arrives in Malaysia and our Asia Briefing for October 8.
Sources
- Malay Mail: Anwar: Malaysia and Myanmar pledge closer bilateral cooperation in trade, education and energy
- Malay Mail: Anwar-Min Aung Hlaing talks focus on refugees, not recognition of Myanmar govt, says Fahmi
- Malay Mail: Anwar hosts official luncheon in honour of visiting Myanmar president at Seri Perdana
- Bernama, via Media Selangor: Anwar meets Myanmar president as repatriation talks take centre stage
- The Irrawaddy: Critics See Political Motives Behind Anwar-Min Aung Hlaing Talks
- Malaysiakini: Condemnation to red carpet: Anwar’s Myanmar turn draws fire
- Al Jazeera: Malaysia’s Anwar to host Myanmar leader as repatriations near 10,000
- Associated Press, via WSLS: Myanmar military leader arrives in Malaysia as repatriations draw criticism
The International Desk covers world and Asian affairs, diplomacy and conflict, with a focus on what they mean for India. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
