Myanmar has agreed to accept an initial group of 5,000 Rohingya refugees currently residing in Malaysia, following bilateral negotiations between the two countries, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on July 29, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The agreement comes amid longstanding challenges managing the large Rohingya population in Malaysia, which hosts more than 126,000 Rohingya registered with the UNHCR—the largest refugee community in the country—and over 215,000 total refugees and asylum seekers [2].
Nearly a week before the announcement, on July 27, hundreds of Rohingya refugees gathered outside the UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur after leaving a settlement in Penang. Malaysian authorities relocated them to different states following police screening to maintain order [1, 4, 5, 6]. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim emphasized the need to preserve public order, instructing authorities that the Rohingya refugees must not disrupt roads or public places. "This is Malaysia and they cannot disturb public order. We will provide designated places for them to stay, but they must not interfere with Malaysians' businesses or traffic," he said [4].
Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not formally recognize refugee status, complicating protections for Rohingya and other asylum seekers [2]. Many Rohingya work in Malaysia’s construction and agriculture sectors—industries often avoided by locals. Rohingya rights activist Zafar, president of the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation Malaysia, said the refugees are "not a burden" and expressed concern over misinformation campaigns fueling xenophobia despite low crime involvement by the community, which police data show at just 0.02% among crimes in Malaysia [7].
Zafar described the situation in Myanmar as hopeless for the Rohingya: "The refugees I spoke to are distraught. They have no homes left. Everything has been reclaimed by the military junta. We have no citizenship, safety or dignity there," he said [7]. Prime Minister Anwar noted Myanmar had previously refused to accept the Rohingya but agreed now due to improved relations with Malaysia. He also said Myanmar agreed to take back around 300,000 Rohingya refugees currently living in Bangladesh, though details on that plan remain unclear [3, 4, 6].
The agreement seeks to relocate the Rohingya within Malaysia to designated areas to avoid disruption before their planned repatriation to Myanmar [1, 4, 5]. Rights groups continue to urge ASEAN and Malaysia to delay repatriations until conditions in Myanmar ensure safety for returnees [7].
Malaysian authorities are currently managing relocations and preparations for the transfer of this initial group of 5,000 refugees to Myanmar, expected to begin in the near term [1, 4].
