Halt repatriation of Rohingya, 5 international rights groups urge govt

 They say sending the refugees back to Myanmar would expose them to a risk of genocide and persecution.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Myanmar has agreed to accept an initial 5,000 Rohingya refugees from Malaysia following negotiations between the two countries. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

Five international rights groups have urged Putrajaya against repatriating 5,000 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar because of the real risks of persecution and genocide they face in the junta-controlled country.

The call was made by Nationality For All, the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, Global Movement Against Statelessness, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network and Statelessness, and Dignified Citizenship Coalition Asia Pacific in a joint statement.

They pointed out that Myanmar’s 1982 citizenship law systematically excluded the Rohingya from citizenship, rendering the entire community stateless by design and enabling persecution against them.

They also said the military junta continues to wage widespread violence against civilians while the discriminatory legal framework denying Rohingya nationality remains firmly in place.

“Any attempt to deport or repatriate the Rohingya under current conditions would expose them to a well-documented and continuing risk of genocide, persecution, arbitrary detention, torture, and other serious human rights violations, in breach of the principle of non-refoulement under international law,” they said.

The groups urged Putrajaya to restore uninterrupted access to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for refugee registration and international protection.

They also called on the government to halt forced evictions of Rohingya families and investigate patterns of discriminatory eviction by landlords and local authorities.

This appears to be in reference to the recent eviction of Rohingya families from a village in Penaga, Penang, earlier this week.

“We call on Asean member states to ensure the meaningful participation of Rohingya representatives in all regional discussions concerning their future.

“We also urged them to reject any regional action that legitimises Myanmar’s military junta or facilitates the return of Rohingya before conditions for voluntary, safe, dignified and rights-based return exist, including the restoration of Rohingya citizenship,” the statement added.

n Wednesday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that Myanmar had agreed to accept an initial 5,000 Rohingya refugees from Malaysia following negotiations between the two countries.

Anwar described the agreement as a first step towards addressing the long-running refugee issue and preserving public order. - FMT