Malaysia to discuss refugee repatriation plan with Myanmar junta, says Fahmi
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 — The Malaysian government will hold talks with the Myanmar junta over the proposed repatriation of 5,000 refugees to the country, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said today.
He said the Myanmar junta must also ensure that the refugees would not face any danger before the repatriation process could begin.
“Both Wisma Putra and the Home Ministry are tasked with identifying the 5,000 Myanmar refugees for repatriation.
“As a responsible country, Malaysia will not send them back if these refugees are certain to be harmed or have their lives threatened,” he said at the weekly post-Cabinet media conference, which was broadcast live today.
On July 29, it was reported that the Myanmar junta had agreed to receive 5,000 Myanmar refugees from Malaysia.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the latest development was a positive step towards resolving the Myanmar refugee issue in the country.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said Anwar had instructed the Human Resources Ministry to expedite the processing of 15,000 foreign worker applications to meet workforce needs across various sectors.
He said the latest development was announced during today’s Cabinet meeting to ensure the country’s workforce requirements could be met to support economic growth.
