PUTRAJAYA - Malaysia will return 1,476 Myanmar nationals on Sept. 29 in the first phase of a voluntary repatriation programme finalised by the government on Aug. 27.
The Home Ministry said the first group consists of eligible Myanmar nationals who agreed to return home and is part of 5,000 people expected to be repatriated in stages under an arrangement with Myanmar. The 1,476 were identified by the Myanmar government.
They will travel aboard two warships and a hospital ship belonging to the Myanmar Navy. The Sept. 29 date was agreed during a coordination meeting involving Malaysia’s home and foreign ministries, the National Security Council and the Defence Ministry after logistical requirements were considered.
“This programme will be carried out safely, responsibly, and in accordance with procedures mutually agreed upon with the Myanmar Government,” the Home Ministry said.
The announcement puts a firm date and group size on a return programme that had remained without a timetable earlier in August. Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said on Aug. 10 that Myanmar was prepared to receive 5,000 people by ship and Malaysia had identified the full group, but no specific timeframe had been set.
Four days later, Mohamad said Malaysia could carry out the returns gradually rather than waiting for all 5,000 to leave at once. “The 1,000 already identified for repatriation can be sent back,” he said, while stressing that Malaysia would prioritise the safety of those returning.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in July that Myanmar had agreed to receive 5,000 Rohingya from Malaysia. Myanmar officials later disputed that description, saying the arrangement covered verified Myanmar nationals rather than Rohingya as a group. The Aug. 27 Home Ministry statement likewise identifies the first 1,476 as Myanmar nationals.
Malaysia has said the returns will not proceed for people who face persecution or threats to their lives. UNHCR has warned that conditions in Myanmar are not conducive to safe and sustainable refugee returns.
Separately, the Home Ministry said 4,008 Myanmar nationals, mainly Rohingya, are being channelled into Malaysia’s Refugee Registration Document programme. Another 10,388 Myanmar nationals were in immigration detention as of Aug. 15, although the ministry said that figure should not be treated as a count of refugees.
The ministry said it will continue identifying people who are eligible and willing to return voluntarily as preparations continue for later phases of the programme.
