Malaysia repatriates 1,500 Myanmar nationals despite UN risk warnings
The returnees have been convicted of staying illegally and other immigration violations in Malaysia
Nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals who were sent back from Malaysia arrived in the country’s largest city on Sunday despite warnings from the UN refugee agency and rights groups that conditions for return remain unsafe.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021, triggering widespread opposition and plunging large parts of the country into conflict.
The returnees, including 86 women, have been convicted of staying illegally and other immigration violations in Malaysia, according to reports from Myanmar state media. They were transported from Malaysia aboard two navy warships and a hospital ship last Tuesday. They arrived in southern Yangon early on Sunday, Nay Lin Tun, a regional government minister, said.
The returnees are among 5,000 Myanmar nationals who will be repatriated in stages from Malaysia, where 10,388 others were being held at immigration detention centres, according to Malaysia’s Home Ministry.
