APHR opposes Min Aung Hlaing’s Malaysia visit, urges halt to Myanmar returns

Myanmar migrants repatriated from Malaysia arrive at a temple during their official welcoming process in Thanlyin on October 4, 2026.

Nearly 1,500 Myanmar migrants from Malaysia arrived in their war-torn home country on October 4, a Myanmar official said, returned under an opaque repatriation scheme that rights monitors say cannot assure their safety.

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ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) on 5 October opposed Malaysia’s decision to host Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaing, warning that the visit would lend legitimacy to the Myanmar junta and put people being returned to Myanmar at risk.

In a statement, APHR said the official visit was due to begin on 6 October and urged Malaysia to avoid agreements or joint statements recognising the military-backed government as legitimate.

“Malaysia should not be receiving Min Aung Hlaing at all,” said APHR chairperson Mercy Chriesty Barends.

According to APHR, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim linked the invitation to Myanmar accepting the return of its nationals. The group said Malaysia returned 1,476 people on 29 September and planned to send back another 3,524.

APHR warned that returnees could face detention, forced conscription and ill-treatment, and questioned whether consent given in immigration detention was genuinely voluntary.

The group urged Malaysia to suspend further returns until conditions were safe and allow UNHCR access to everyone facing repatriation. It also called for an independent review of screening and consent procedures for those already returned, alongside UN access to monitor their situation.