APHR opposes Min Aung Hlaing’s Malaysia visit, urges halt to Myanmar returns

By Admin 06 Oct 2026

DMG Newsroom

6 October 2026, Yangon

ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has opposed Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to host Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing, warning that the visit could legitimize the junta while Malaysia moves to return thousands of Myanmar nationals to a country still at war.

Min Aung Hlaing is due to begin an official visit to Malaysia on October 6. APHR said receiving him with the honours of an official visit would send the wrong message to Myanmar people who continue to face airstrikes, forced conscription and other consequences of the conflict.

“Malaysia should not be receiving Min Aung Hlaing at all. Every red carpet rolled out for him tells the people of Myanmar, who live under airstrikes and forced conscription, that the region has made its peace with what is being done to them,” APHR Chairperson and Indonesian lawmaker Mercy Chriesty Barends said in an October 5 statement.

APHR said the visit would represent a significant diplomatic gain for Min Aung Hlaing, particularly as ASEAN has barred Myanmar’s political leaders from its high-level summits since the 2021 military coup.

The group also raised concern over Malaysia’s repatriation of Myanmar nationals. Malaysia returned 1,476 people, including 79 women and 27 children, on September 29 and plans to return another 3,524, according to APHR.

The returns came days after a Myanmar military airstrike on a market area in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, killed at least 49 civilians.

APHR said the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, was not involved in the repatriation process and has warned that conditions in Myanmar are not conducive to safe returns.

The group warned that returnees could face detention, forced conscription and ill-treatment, and said the returns could violate the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits sending people to places where they face serious threats to their lives or freedom.

APHR urged Malaysia to suspend further repatriations until conditions in Myanmar allow for safe and dignified returns and UNHCR is able to assess those scheduled to be returned.

It also called on Malaysia not to sign agreements or issue joint statements that could confer legitimacy on Myanmar’s military-backed government and urged it not to extend further invitations to Min Aung Hlaing.