Singapore strongly supports efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to improve the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, and is willing to send more aids to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has stated.
Malaysia will conduct SARS-CoV-2 tests for undocumented migrants to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Noor Hisham Abdullah, a senior health official, said on May 1.
The United Nations investigators said on September 16 that nearly 600,000 Rohingya Muslims remaining in Myanmar still face a serious risk of violence, warning that the repatriation of a million of this community remains "impossible".
Myanmar and Bangladesh are making a second attempt to start repatriating Rohingya Muslims after more than 700,000 of them fled Myanmar almost two years ago, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on August 16.
Villagers at Malaysia’s Sungai Belati beach found weak, hungry, and disheveled Myanmar refugees – including children from as young as seven – arriving at shore on March 1, the New Straits Times reported.
Conditions in Rakhine state of Myanmar are not yet met for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees to their places of origin or choice, said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The United Nations (UN) and Myanmar on June 6 signed an agreement enabling the UN to approach and join hands in dealing with the crisis in Rakhine state and returning Rohingya refugees.
Myanmar’s National Security Advisor Thaung Tun said the country is willing to take back all 700,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees who have fled to Bangladesh due to violence if they volunteer to return.
Myanmar Social Welfare Minister Win Myat Aye said Rohingya refugees will return to Myanmar as early as possible although the repatriation process is stagnating and the UN warned that their safety is not ensured.
Senior officials from Myanmar and Bangladesh met on January 15 in Nay Pyi Taw to discuss how to settle issues over the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.
The Government of Bangladesh announced on November 23 that its country and the neighbouring Myanmar have agreed on returning Rohingya Muslim refugees in two months.
