Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, leader of Myanmar's military government, made a two-day official visit to Malaysia and met with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur amid discussions on repatriating Myanmar nationals residing in Malaysia. Malaysia confirmed the process would be voluntary, dignified, and safe, while both sides agreed to elevate cooperation in trade, investment, education, energy, and public health.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur during his two-day official visit to Malaysia. Key topics included the repatriation of Myanmar nationals residing in Malaysia and bilateral cooperation through the ASEAN framework.
Prime Minister Anwar welcomed Min Aung Hlaing at the government residence, followed by an official welcoming ceremony featuring the national anthems of both countries and an inspection of the honor guard from the 1st Battalion, Royal Ranger Regiment, comprising 106 officers and personnel. After the ceremony, Min Aung Hlaing signed the guest book before holding a private meeting with Anwar, followed by bilateral talks with ministers and senior officials from both countries.
Anwar expressed gratitude to Min Aung Hlaing for accepting the invitation to visit Malaysia, noting that although Malaysia and Myanmar have several issues to discuss and resolve, both sides agreed that their relationship should prioritize the interests of their peoples.
The Malaysian Prime Minister stated that both countries agreed to expand cooperation across multiple areas, including trade, investment, education, food and agricultural industries, energy, public health, and human resource development.
Anwar noted the strong economic potential between Malaysia and Myanmar, highlighting that the economic relationship's value has grown by more than 140% compared to the same period last year, viewing this as a positive sign for opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation.
He also praised the openness of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the Myanmar government in being receptive to feedback and willing to adjust approaches as needed to strengthen bilateral relations.
Another key topic was the repatriation of Myanmar nationals residing in Malaysia. Malaysia stated that about 5,000 Myanmar nationals, including those recently repatriated on Sunday, have agreed to return to Myanmar periodically.
Data from the Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs showed that as of the end of August, 11,804 Myanmar nationals were detained in immigration detention centers nationwide. Previously, about 1,500 Myanmar nationals had been repatriated, despite warnings from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and human rights organizations that the situation in Myanmar remains unsafe for returnees.
It remains unclear whether the repatriated individuals include Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority facing persecution in Myanmar and lacking citizenship recognition.
Malaysia is home to approximately 215,600 registered refugees and asylum seekers with UNHCR, of whom around 126,000 are Rohingya, making it one of the largest refugee communities in Southeast Asia. However, Malaysia is not a party to the UN Refugee Convention and regards refugees as undocumented migrants.
Recently, the Rohingya community in Malaysia has faced increased public opposition amid growing refugee numbers and concerns over job competition, public service use, and security.
On regional relations, Malaysia noted that Min Aung Hlaing's visit provides an opportunity for Prime Minister Anwar to engage directly with Myanmar's government, in line with the ASEAN Summit's May 2026 decision to pursue constructive and principled engagement with Myanmar.
Malaysia emphasized that Myanmar remains an ASEAN member and, as an ASEAN member state, Malaysia will continue supporting ASEAN’s efforts to promote peace, reconciliation, and humanitarian access in Myanmar, working with all ASEAN members to maintain regional stability and prosperity.
This visit takes place amid prolonged conflict in Myanmar since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 Feb 2021, triggering widespread resistance and armed conflict in various parts of the country.
Both Malaysia and Myanmar reaffirmed their intention to deepen bilateral relations, focusing on the welfare of their peoples and expanding cooperation in economic, social, and public health sectors alongside working through ASEAN mechanisms to support peace and regional stability.
.sourceNew Straits Times/Malay Mail/The Star