No repatriation if Rohingya lives are at risk, says Fahmi
Putrajaya will study several matters with Myanmar before carrying out the return of 5,000 refugees, the communications minister says.
The government will not repatriate Rohingya refugees to Myanmar if their lives are at risk, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said.
He said the foreign ministry and the home ministry are identifying the refugees to be sent back, after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 refugees following negotiations between the two countries.
"The prime minister takes note that we cannot send back these refugees if their lives are under threat.
"So there are several matters we will examine first in discussions with the Myanmar government before we carry out (the repatriation)," he told a press conference after the Cabinet meeting.
Fahmi said Putrajaya would also study the criteria set by Myanmar for the repatriation process and would comply with them if they were found to be appropriate.
He was responding to questions on whether the government had received assurances from Myanmar that the refugees would arrive safely, as well as on who would bear the cost of the repatriation and the mode of transport to be used.
Several parties, including human rights organisations and politicians, had earlier questioned the government's decision to send 5,000 refugees back to Myanmar, arguing that the ethnic group still faces persecution there.
Cabinet discusses pilot detained in Indonesia
Separately, Fahmi said the Cabinet also discussed the case of a Malaysian pilot detained by Indonesian authorities last week on suspicion of smuggling about 25kg of drugs through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.
He said the transport ministry and home ministry briefed the Cabinet on improvements to be implemented immediately, including strengthening airport security by deploying police personnel in addition to the existing auxiliary police force.
"Malaysia Airlines will be asked to review its background check protocols as well as health screening for pilots and co-pilots.
"The police and the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency have also been asked to examine aspects that could be abused, including any loopholes, and these must be closed and managed immediately," he said.
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