Malaysia to invite Min Aung Hlaing to speed up Rohingya refugee repatriation

Malaysia will officially invite Myanmar's junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to speed up the repatriation process of Rohingya refugees, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on September 16. If the invitation from Anwar Ibrahim materializes, it could be another step for Min Aung Hlaing, who has been ostracized internationally since the 2021 coup, in his efforts to gain diplomatic legitimacy. "We can be friendly and trade, and we can accept Myanmar, but we are inviting them on the condition that Myanmar also accepts the refugees," he said in a podcast. While Malaysia has previously strongly criticized the actions of the Myanmar military council, it has now decided to adopt a new form of diplomatic approach to resolve the Rohingya issue. "This diplomatic approach is better than continuing to shout and condemn Myanmar. According to ASEAN principles, if we don't have direct contact with the Myanmar military, who should we negotiate with? " Anwar Ibrahim said. If Myanmar accepts this offer, it will be the fifth ASEAN member state visit for Min Aung Hlaing, after Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Although Malaysia has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, it has accepted over 126,000 Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar. Anwar Ibrahim said in July that Myanmar had agreed to accept 5,000 Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. The Malaysian government has confirmed that 1,500 Myanmar refugees will be repatriated to Myanmar on September 29 as the first phase of a voluntary repatriation program. ASEAN has banned Myanmar military leaders from attending summit meetings since 2021 and is striving to resolve the Myanmar conflict and refugee issues as quickly as possible.