In a significant move, Malaysia has initiated a voluntary repatriation program for Myanmar nationals amidst safety concerns.
The first group of 1,476 people began their journey and are among 5,000 Myanmar nationals who Malaysia plans to repatriate in stages, news agency AP reported. 10,388 Myanmar nationals were being held at immigration detention centres across the country as of August 15, according to Malaysia’s home ministry. A ministry official confirmed the repatriation.
The ministry said those in the first group had agreed to return voluntarily and would be transported using two Myanmar navy warships and a hospital ship. Malaysia began repatriating Myanmar nationals under a voluntary programme despite warnings from the United Nations refugee agency and rights groups that conditions in Myanmar remain unsafe. Buses believed to be carrying returnees arrived at a stadium in Manjung in central Perak state amid tight security. Ships believed to be from Myanmar were docked at the nearby Lumut naval base. Details about their identities and individual circumstances were not immediately available. The UN refugee agency and rights groups have urged caution over the repatriation programme, saying security and humanitarian conditions in parts of Myanmar remain volatile and that returnees could face serious risks.
Myanmar foreign ministry official Han Win Aung said the plan follows repatriation operations in 2021 and 2022, when Myanmar received more than 1,100 of its nationals stranded in Malaysia.
He has said Malaysia cannot host refugees indefinitely and that Myanmar must take responsibility for its citizens. Anwar said he plans to invite Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing to Malaysia to discuss the long-running issue of refugees and undocumented migrants. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has defended the repatriation policy as a diplomatic effort to find a long-term solution.