Myanmar refugees boarding a ship to return home at the naval base in Lumut, Perak, under an earlier phase of the repatriation programme. (KDN pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Bar is seeking the High Court’s permission to challenge the government’s plan to repatriate about 5,000 Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers.

The Bar is also seeking a temporary halt to the repatriation pending the court’s decision on its application.

The attorney-general is opposing both the Bar's application for leave to commence judicial review and its bid for a stay.

The Bar said allowing the repatriation to proceed could render its judicial review nugatory, as the return of the individuals to Myanmar would be irreversible.