Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing visits Malaysia amid concerns over repatriations

Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing arrives in Malaysia for his first visit since the 2021 coup, as deportations of Myanmar nationals draw concerns from the UN and rights groups.Myanmar’s military leader-turned-president has arrived in Malaysia for talks with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as Kuala Lumpur seeks his cooperation to send back thousands of Myanmar nationals.Min Aung Hlaing touched down at Kuala Lumpur international airport at 04:30 GMT on Wednesday, state media images showed.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Myanmar military launches air strike on Rakhine market, killing at least 33list 2 of 3Malaysia begins sending back Rohingya refugees despite safety warningslist 3 of 3Malaysia gave refuge to Rohingya; now it wants them to goend of listThe two-day visit comes as Malaysia pushes ahead with a controversial move to repatriate thousands of ⁠Myanmar nationals, despite warnings from the United Nations and rights groups that returnees could face serious danger amid a raging civil war.“The visit provides the prime minister with an opportunity to sustain his direct engagement with Myanmar,” the Malaysian government said in a statement on Tuesday.Key bilateral issues include the “voluntary, ⁠⁠dignified and safe repatriation of Myanmar nationals of all ethnic groups who have been in Malaysia illegally”, it added.A spokeswoman for Min Aung Hlaing said “the agenda will include discussions on the voluntary, dignified and safe repatriation of Myanmar nationals currently in Malaysia”.Myanmar has been in turmoil since Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, triggering a civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million.The military engineered a widely criticised election that allowed the retired general, who is subject to Western sanctions, to take up a civilian role — a ‌‌transition that has led to some moves towards re-engagement with Myanmar.Since formally becoming president in April, Min Aung Hlaing has visited ASEAN member countries Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and also made trips to China, India, Russia and Belarus.