1,479 Myanmar returnees arrive as Malaysia plans further repatriations
UNHCR could not verify whether the returnees’ decisions were free and informed. Malaysia says a further group of more than 3,500 people is being prepared for return.
A group of 1,479 Myanmar refugees and migrants deported from Malaysia arrived in southern Yangon early Sunday, according to regional government minister Nay Lin Tun. They had travelled aboard two Malaysian navy warships and a hospital ship.
The arrivals are part of Malaysia’s plan to repatriate 5,000 Myanmar nationals in stages. The country’s Home Ministry says more than 10,300 others are being held in immigration detention centres, while Kuala Lumpur prepares a second return group of more than 3,500.
Malaysia says all returnees agreed to go voluntarily. But the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said its staff were not allowed to meet the group to check whether their decisions were free and informed. Rights monitors have also questioned whether refugees had a meaningful choice.
UNHCR and human rights groups warn that people returned to Myanmar could face persecution, forced conscription and unsafe conditions. Myanmar has been in civil war since the military seized power in 2021; the warnings describe potential risks, not confirmed outcomes for this group.
It is unclear how many of those who arrived are Rohingya. They make up the majority of Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, but the available information does not establish their number among the returnees.
