Govt won't repatriate Rohingya if persecution risks persist, says Fahmi

The government will not send Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar if their lives are under threat, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said.

Fahmi said the foreign and home ministries were working to identify which refugees would be repatriated, after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya refugees following negotiations between the two countries.

"The prime minister acknowledges that we can't send them back if their lives are threatened," he said at a post-Cabinet press conference here today.

"We will deliberate on some matters with the Myanmar government before anything is done," he said, adding that Putrajaya would review the criteria for the refugees' repatriation set by Myanmar and comply with them if deemed appropriate.

Fahmi was asked whether the government had received assurances from Myanmar that the refugees would arrive safely, as well as who would bear the costs and how they would be transported.

Several parties, notably rights groups and politicians, had previously questioned the government's decision to repatriate 5,000 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, saying the ethnic group still faced persecution there.

Pilot's arrest discussed

Separately, Fahmi said the Cabinet also discussed the case of a Malaysian pilot arrested by Indonesian authorities last week for allegedly smuggling about 25kg of ecstasy through Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport.

He said the Cabinet was briefed by the transport and home ministries on improvement measures requiring immediate implementation, including enhancing airport security by deploying police officers at airports in addition to existing auxiliary police units.

"Malaysia Airlines will be asked to review its protocols for background checks and health screenings for pilots and co-pilots.

"Both police and the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency have also been asked to examine security aspects vulnerable to abuse, including possible loopholes that need to be plugged immediately," he said.