KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia has called Myanmar to include its citizens that are currently under protection in Malaysia in future discussions on the repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

The Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan announced Malaysia is now providing protection to nearly 200,000 refugees under the supervision of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

He also said that he had raised the matter directly with Myanmar’s acting president, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, during a recent meeting. 

“Let us not overlook that the repatriation process should also include Myanmar nationals currently residing in Malaysia,” he said in the Parliamentary, on Tuesday.

He also added that the Myanmar side acknowledged the point but gave no commitment.

Mohamad also said the main challenge is that many third countries are unwilling to take in refugees, while the UNHCR’s effectiveness has also declined compared to previous years.

“The main challenge now is that not many third countries are willing to accept the Rohingya people.

“UNHCR has not been very effective, it is not performing as well as it did when handling Vietnamese refugees in the past,” said Mohamad.

The government’s call reflects Malaysia’s ongoing effort to balance humanitarian responsibility with regional cooperation in seeking lasting solutions for the Rohingya crisis.

As said by Subang Member of Parliament Wong Chen, Malaysia’s broader goal is to help end the conflict in Myanmar so that the Rohingya can safely return home.

“Our main goal is to find a solution to the war in Myanmar so that the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya currently living in Malaysia can return to their homeland,” he said.