Late last month, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that Myanmar (Burma) had agreed to take back an initial group of about 5,000 Rohingya refugees living in Malaysia.
A Muslim minority from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, the Rohingya have long been denied citizenship there and faced severe persecution, including a military campaign in 2017 that the U.S. government called a genocide. Many fled to neighboring countries, including Malaysia and Bangladesh. Malaysian authorities began screening people for possible return, but later said they would not send anyone back if their lives would be at risk.
Return remains highly dangerous. Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya as citizens and large parts of Rakhine State are unstable. A Rohingya advocacy group in Malaysia has said the community hopes to go home one day, but only if there is real safety, stability, and dignity. Rights groups warn that forcing people back under current conditions would put them at serious risk and…