Malaysia has initiated the naval repatriation of approximately 1,500 Myanmar nationals in the first phase of a broader initiative to return 5,000 individuals, bypassing vocal concerns raised by international human rights organizations and the United Nations.
According to reports from AFP, police-escorted buses transported deportees from various detention centers across Malaysia to the Majlis Perbandaran Manjung Stadium near the Lumut Naval Base in northwestern Malaysia on Tuesday (September 29, 2026). Following verification and formal processing, the migrants will be transferred onto naval vessels bound for Myanmar. While official breakdowns regarding the number of Rohingya Muslims among the group remain undisclosed, UNHCR estimates that two-thirds of the 190,000 registered Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia belong to the persecuted Rohingya minority. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim previously indicated that Myanmar agreed to accept 5,000 returnees, prompting criticism from advocacy groups given Malaysia's non-signatory status to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the persistent xenophobic disinformation campaigns targeting displaced populations.
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Reported by International Desk • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
