LUMUT: Malaysia began repatriating 1,476 Myanmar nationals today in an operation in Lumut, Perak, as concerns mount over their safety once they return.
The Home Ministry said the group was made up of people who were eligible and had agreed to return voluntarily, and that the repatriation was being carried out under procedures agreed with the Myanmar government.
The operation uses two warships and a hospital ship belonging to the Myanmar navy. The first group is part of 5,000 Myanmar nationals scheduled to return in stages.
The date was set after coordination between the ministries and agencies involved, taking logistical needs into account. Efforts to identify others who are eligible and willing to return will continue.
Reuters reported that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) maintained that current conditions in Myanmar do not yet allow for the safe and lasting return of refugees. The agency was also not involved in identifying those being sent home under the programme.
Myanmar has been gripped by armed conflict since the 2021 military coup, with fighting between the military and armed groups continuing in several regions.
This morning, buses under security escort arrived at a stadium in Manjung, near the Lumut naval base, for the repatriation process.
Full details of the background and status of each person in the group have not been made public, and they cannot all be assumed to share the same refugee status.
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