Malaysia’s government said yesterday that it will not proceed with the planned repatriation of 5,000 Myanmar refugees if their lives are found to be at risk upon their return. They have now agreed to take 5,000 Rohingya from Malaysia,” Anwar said during a campaign rally in Negeri Sembilan state. The deportation plan follows a recent upsurge of xenophobic rhetoric and public hostility toward Rohingya Muslims, particularly online. Around 126,000 Rohingya asylum seekers are currently registered with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kuala Lumpur, around half of the agency’s total. However, Malaysia does not recognize the Rohingya as refugees, and as public sentiment has become more hostile, has tightened the enforcement of its immigration laws.