Malaysia’s Rohingya Repatriation Plan Sparks Fears for Refugee Safety

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s main Rohingya rights group urged the government on Thursday to halt the planned deportation of some 5,000 stateless asylum seekers to Myanmar, saying their lives would be at risk.

The appeal came a day after Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya, in a rare repatriation push announced days after authorities detained dozens of refugees.

The Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization in Malaysia asked Anwar and his home minister to consult the UN refugee agency and Rohingya representatives before any repatriation.