Sawt Falasteen - Myanmar leader lands in Malaysia for migrant return talks

Min Aung Hlaing has been a pariah in many capitals abroad since his putsch unleashed a civil war, but Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim invited him for talks about returning 5,000 Myanmar migrants.

The opaque repatriation scheme has been criticised by rights monitors, some fearing ethnic Rohingya may be sent back to a country where they have experienced persecution many deem genocide.

The two-day trip comes as Min Aung Hlaing makes a push for diplomatic recognition after being installed in April as civilian president, following elections branded a charade by democracy watchdogs.

Min Aung Hlaing touched down at 0430 GMT at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, state media images showed, with the Myanmar leader descending the steps to a waiting car.

His spokeswoman said on his trip "the agenda will include discussions on the voluntary, dignified and safe repatriation of Myanmar nationals currently in Malaysia".

- 'Safe repatriation' -

Nearly 1,500 migrants arrived back in Myanmar by ship on Sunday, the first of the 5,000 Anwar promised to return as he blamed refugees for burdening Malaysia on social, financial and security grounds.

Kuala Lumpur says plans are already underway to send back around 3,500 more being held in detention centres.

Anwar has not directly commented on whether any Rohingya will be among the returned.

But Malaysia's foreign ministry says he will host Min Aung Hlaing for talks on the "safe repatriation of Myanmar nationals of all ethnic groups who have been in Malaysia illegally".

While the flotilla of ships carrying back migrants was highly publicised, Myanmar this week revealed it has also been organising weekly flights returning an additional roughly 8,000 migrants since January.

Anwar announced his repatriation plan amidst an uptick of anti-migrant sentiment in Malaysia, focussed on the persecuted Muslim Rohingya group.

The Rohingya make up two-thirds of the roughly 190,000 Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, according to United Nations data.

Analysts say Min Aung Hlaing has been at the centre of successive crises which have caused mass upheaval for Myanmar's citizens, displacing them at home and abroad.

He was chief of the military in 2017 when it led a violent crackdown on the Rohingya forcing them to flee Myanmar en masse -- mostly to neighbouring Bangladesh, but also to Malaysia.

The International Court of Justice is currently weighing whether the campaign constituted genocide, a charge the military has always denied.

Min Aung Hlaing's 2021 coup then sparked a civil war which has riven the country, killing more than 100,000 across all sides according to conflict monitor ACLED.

Unfruitful peace efforts have been led by the regional Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc.

The 11-nation organisation has frozen Myanmar out of high level summits since the coup, presenting a united front to pressure its leaders into engaging in its conflict resolution plan.

But analysts say the consensus is now fraying.

Malaysia marks the fifth ASEAN nation to host Min Aung Hlaing since he transitioned to ruling the country as nominally civilian president.

Migrant returns are the "only reason" Malaysia wants to now engage with Myanmar said Yap Lay Sheng, a senior human rights specialist with the Fortify Rights NGO.

"For so many years Malaysia has show the military regime the cold shoulder," he told AFP.

"Suddenly there's a 180 degree about turn to welcome the regime with open arms."

P.Tamimi--SF-PST