Malaysia begins sending back Rohingya refugees despite safety warnings | Rohingya News | Al Jazeera

Malaysia has begun repatriating nearly 1,500 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, claiming their return is voluntary despite warnings from the UN and human rights groups that conditions in Myanmar remain unsafe. Dozens of buses escorted by police arrived at a stadium near Lumut naval base, where passengers will be processed before being transported by ship back to Myanmar. The Myanmar military has repeatedly cracked down on the Rohingya minority, including a violent crackdown in 2017 that triggered a major refugee crisis. Most Rohingya refugees are in Bangladesh, which hosts over 1.2 million, while Malaysia hosts more than 126,144.