Countries: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Thailand
Source: Mixed Migration Centre
Please refer to the attached file.
The core countries of focus for this region are Iran, Palestine, Syria, Türkiye (Southwest Asia), Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan (South Asia), Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand (Southeast Asia), Australia, and New Zealand (Oceania). Depending on the quarterly trends and migration-related updates, more attention may be given to any of the countries over the rest.
Key migration trends and policy updates
- EU greenlights negotiations with Taliban on returns: As part of its ambition to undertake deportations of Afghans, the EU has invited the Taliban to Brussels with the aim of developing closer cooperation around returns, sparking criticism from numerous human rights groups. In particular, Germany deported dozens of Afghan nationals during the quarter.
- According to the BBC, Afghans have been subjected to extreme violence by Turkish border guards: Survivors from a group of around 50 Afghans testified that they had been beaten and stripped naked at the Iran-Türkiye border in January, with 20 reportedly dying as a result and many others losing limbs to frostbite.
- More hardship for Rohingya refugees in the face of funding cuts: At $710.5 million, the 2026 annual appeal for humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh is 26% lower than the requested total the previous year, in response to the increasing restricted funding landscape.
- Malaysia’s refugee registration scheme prompts human rights concerns: Following Malaysia’s announcement in January that a new refugee registration programme would be rolled out in the country, migrant and refugee rights groups have sounded alarms at the lack of clarity in the new provisions around what protections refugees will enjoy in practice.
- Trafficking victims stranded in Cambodia in wake of scam crackdown: Following a crackdown against cybercrime networks, thousands of trafficking victims working in these scam centres have been left without assistance in Phnom Penh and at risk of re-trafficking.
- Asian migrants struggle in the Gulf: Research by Human Rights Watch has highlighted the continued risks that migrants – including many from South and Southeast Asia – face in the Gulf as a result of extreme and potentially lethal temperatures, as well as the increasing repression of authorities in the context of regional conflict.