[ENGLISH VERSION BELOW] Penang4Palestine (P4P) mengambil maklum pengumuman bahawa Myanmar bersetuju menerima semula kumpulan pertama seramai 5,000 pelarian Rohingya dari Malaysia hasil rundingan diplomatik antara kedua-dua negara.
Kami menghormati hak kerajaan Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara berdaulat untuk mengurus dasar imigresen, memelihara keselamatan negara serta mencari penyelesaian terhadap isu pelarian yang telah berlarutan sejak sekian lama.
Namun, di sebalik perkembangan ini, timbul satu persoalan yang jauh lebih besar daripada proses penghantaran pulang itu sendiri. Apakah jaminan bahawa mereka akan benar-benar selamat apabila kembali ke Myanmar?
Menghantar pulang pelarian bukan sekadar memindahkan manusia merentasi sempadan. Ia menuntut satu jaminan bahawa mereka tidak akan dihantar kembali kepada ancaman nyawa, penganiayaan, penindasan atau pencabulan hak asasi manusia.
Dunia mengetahui rekod buruk pemerintahan junta tentera Myanmar dalam mencabuli hak asasi manusia. Sejak rampasan kuasa tentera pada tahun 2021, negara itu terus dilanda konflik bersenjata, pembunuhan orang awam, penahanan tanpa proses perundangan yang adil, penyeksaan, serangan terhadap kawasan kediaman dan kemudahan awam, serta penafian hak demokrasi dan kebebasan asasi.
Bagi masyarakat Rohingya pula, penderitaan mereka telah berlarutan selama beberapa dekad. Mereka dinafikan kewarganegaraan, menjadi mangsa diskriminasi sistemik, pengusiran secara paksa, keganasan, serta pelbagai bentuk pencabulan hak asasi manusia yang telah didokumentasikan dan dikecam oleh masyarakat antarabangsa.
Sejarah inilah yang menimbulkan persoalan penting: apakah jaminan bahawa mereka yang dihantar pulang hari ini tidak akan berdepan dengan risiko penganiayaan yang sama?
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Kami percaya sebarang proses repatriasi hendaklah mematuhi prinsip-prinsip hak asasi manusia yang diiktiraf di peringkat antarabangsa. Kepulangan mereka mestilah dilakukan secara sukarela, selamat, bermaruah dan disertai jaminan perlindungan yang boleh disahkan, bukannya semata-mata berdasarkan persetujuan politik antara dua kerajaan.
Penang4Palestine menggesa agar kerajaan Malaysia mendapatkan komitmen bertulis daripada pihak Myanmar mengenai keselamatan, kebebasan dan layanan terhadap mereka yang dihantar pulang.
Pada masa yang sama, badan-badan antarabangsa seperti UNHCR serta mekanisme pemantauan bebas perlu diberi akses untuk memantau keadaan mereka selepas kembali ke Myanmar.
Tanpa mekanisme pemantauan yang bebas dan telus, sukar untuk meyakinkan masyarakat antarabangsa bahawa proses ini benar-benar melindungi hak dan keselamatan pelarian.
Malaysia selama ini dihormati sebagai sebuah negara yang memperjuangkan keamanan, keadilan dan isu-isu kemanusiaan di pentas antarabangsa. Pendirian kita terhadap Palestin, Bosnia, Syria dan pelbagai konflik lain membuktikan bahawa Malaysia sentiasa memilih untuk berdiri bersama mereka yang ditindas.
Nilai yang sama perlu terus menjadi asas dalam menangani isu Rohingya.
Dalam sejarah Islam, kita mengambil iktibar daripada semangat Muhajirin dan Ansar. Rasulullah SAW mengajar umatnya agar mempertahankan maruah manusia, membantu mereka yang dizalimi dan melindungi golongan yang kehilangan tempat bergantung.
Walaupun konteks sejarah berbeza, nilai keadilan, belas ihsan dan tanggungjawab terhadap mereka yang tertindas tetap menjadi pedoman sepanjang zaman.
Penang4Palestine tidak mempertikaikan hak Malaysia menguatkuasakan undang-undang atau mengurus dasar imigresennya.
Namun, kami percaya bahawa kedaulatan undang-undang dan nilai kemanusiaan tidak pernah bercanggah. Sebuah negara yang kuat bukan sahaja tegas mempertahankan sempadannya, tetapi juga memastikan setiap tindakan yang diambil tidak mengorbankan maruah dan keselamatan insan.
Menghantar pulang pelarian bukan sekadar memindahkan manusia merentasi sempadan. Tanggungjawab sebenar ialah memastikan mereka pulang kepada keamanan, bukannya kembali kepada ketakutan.
Jika keselamatan mereka tidak dapat dijamin, maka persoalan terbesar bukanlah bagaimana mereka dihantar pulang, tetapi apakah nasib yang menanti mereka selepas tiba di tanah air sendiri. – P4P
English version
Repatriating the Rohingya: Where are the guarantees for their safety?
Penang4Palestine (P4P) takes note of the announcement that Myanmar has agreed to receive an initial group of 5,000 Rohingya refugees from Malaysia following diplomatic discussions between the two governments.
We respect Malaysia’s sovereign right to manage its immigration policies, safeguard national security and seek sustainable solutions to the long-standing refugee situation.
However, beyond the announcement lies a far more important question. What guarantees exist that these refugees will truly be safe once they return to Myanmar?
Repatriating refugees is not merely a matter of transporting people across borders. It carries a moral and humanitarian responsibility to ensure that they are not returned to situations where they face persecution, violence, arbitrary detention or other serious human rights violations.
The world is well aware of the Myanmar military junta’s appalling human rights record. Since the military coup in 2021, Myanmar has endured armed conflict, widespread violence against civilians, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure, as well as the systematic suppression of democracy, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.
For the Rohingya people, their suffering has continued for decades. They have been denied citizenship, subjected to systematic discrimination, forcibly displaced, persecuted and exposed to grave human rights abuses that have been extensively documented and condemned by the international community.
This history raises a critical question: what credible assurances exist that those returning today will not face the same persecution once again?
We believe that any process of repatriation must fully comply with internationally recognised human rights principles. Their return must be voluntary, safe, dignified and supported by verifiable guarantees of protection, rather than being based solely on political agreements between governments.
Penang4Palestine calls upon the government of Malaysia to obtain clear and written commitments from the Myanmar authorities regarding the safety, freedom and humane treatment of all returnees.
At the same time, international organisations, including the UNHCR and independent human rights monitoring mechanisms, should be granted full access to monitor the wellbeing of those who return.
Without transparent and independent monitoring, it will be difficult to assure the international community that this repatriation genuinely protects the rights and safety of the Rohingya people.
Malaysia has long earned international respect for championing justice, peace and humanitarian causes. Our consistent support for the people of Palestine, Bosnia, Syria and other oppressed communities reflects our commitment to standing with those who suffer injustice.
The same humanitarian principles should guide our response to the Rohingya crisis.
Islamic history reminds us of the noble example of the Muhajirin and the Ansar. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught the values of protecting human dignity, supporting the oppressed and extending compassion to those forced to flee their homes.
While today’s circumstances differ from the historical Hijrah, the moral principles of justice, mercy and human solidarity remain timeless.
Penang4Palestine does not question Malaysia’s right to enforce its laws or regulate immigration.
Rather, we firmly believe that national sovereignty and humanitarian responsibility are not mutually exclusive. A strong nation is one that protects its borders while ensuring that its actions never compromise the dignity, safety and fundamental rights of vulnerable human beings.
Repatriating refugees is not simply about moving people across borders. It is about ensuring that they return to safety – not back to fear, persecution and uncertainty.
If their safety cannot be guaranteed, then the real question is not how they are returned, but what fate awaits them once they arrive home. – P4P
MS Anuar Mahmod is the chairman of Penang4Palestine (P4P).
The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.
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