Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is pledging to bring Myanmar back into
the fold following a meeting with the military leader of the country.

Min Aung Hlaing came to power due to a military coup on the
democratically-elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

He has agreed to facilitate and accelerate the repatriation of thousands of
Buremese people currently held in Malaysian immigration detention cetners.

The meeting with Anwar is part of the Myanmar leader's effort to make inroads
with other ASEAN countries and gain legitimacy for his government.

Malaysia is the fifth ASEAN member country that Min Aung Hlaing has visited
recently, in addition to China, India, Russia, and Belarus.

His two-day visit to Malaysia came a week after the country began deporting
more than 1,400 people under a program to repatriate 5,000 Myanmar nationals
in stages, amid Malaysians' growing frustration with their presence.

This is despite the U.N. Refugee Agency and human rights groups' warnings
that returnees are facing persecution and forced military conscription in
Myanmar.