Nearly 1,500 Myanmar Migrants Repatriated from Malaysia Despite Safety Concerns

Nearly 1,500 Myanmar migrants were repatriated from Malaysia on Sunday under what rights groups have described as an opaque return programme, despite concerns that conditions in war-torn Myanmar remain unsafe for their return.

Journalists from AFP witnessed Myanmar Navy vessels transporting the returnees to the Thanlyin naval base near Yangon, where dozens of migrants were taken by bus to a Buddhist monastery hall for immigration and health screening.

Among the returnees was 53-year-old Kyaw Swar Thein, who had worked at a coffee shop in Malaysia before being arrested. Speaking after his arrival, he said he had not yet been reunited with his family.

"I still haven't seen my family," Thein said. He added that he had contracted scabies during his one year and eight months in detention, which influenced his decision to return, although he remains uncertain about his future.

Several men seated in rows at the processing centre wore T-shirts reading "We Love Myanmar." Sitting among them, Thein said, "I don't expect anything."

The repatriation comes as the United Nations continues to warn that Myanmar, which has been engulfed in civil conflict since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, cannot guarantee the safe return of its nationals. The UN has said the country's current conditions fall short of international standards for voluntary, safe and dignified repatriation.

Malaysia maintains that all detainees agreed voluntarily to return. However, the United Nations and human rights organisations have questioned whether the migrants had any meaningful alternative while being held in immigration detention centres.

Hundreds of family members gathered outside the Thanlyin naval base before dawn, hoping to welcome returning relatives. Some held photographs or handwritten signs bearing the names of loved ones. While a small number of families were allowed inside the base, most were unable to meet the returnees immediately.

A naval officer informed those waiting that the migrants would first be transferred to various locations across the Yangon region before being released.

One woman searching for her 19-year-old brother, who was arrested shortly after arriving in Malaysia three months ago, said she had seen his name on the repatriation list but was not permitted to enter the base.

"We saw his name on the list, but we couldn't go inside to find him," she said, requesting anonymity for security reasons.

Another relative, 55-year-old Kyaw Myint, expressed concern that his three grandchildren, who had spent more than a year in detention in Malaysia, could now face forced recruitment into Myanmar's military or ethnic armed groups.

"Our concern is not only the military," he said. "Ethnic armed organisations could also recruit them."

According to a Myanmar naval official, three navy vessels carrying the migrants docked at Thanlyin on Sunday morning. Myanmar authorities said the ships departed Malaysia on Tuesday with 1,476 migrants aboard.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said Myanmar agreed to accept up to 5,000 migrants, with Sunday's arrivals representing the first group. Malaysian media reported that most of the returnees were men, including 79 women and 27 children.

The repatriation has also raised concerns over whether Rohingya refugees were among those returned. The issue has drawn heightened scrutiny following growing anti-refugee sentiment in Malaysia. Most Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers in the country are Rohingya, who fled a brutal military crackdown in 2017 that UN experts have described as bearing the hallmarks of genocide.

Kuala Lumpur has not responded to AFP's questions about how many Rohingya, if any, were included in the latest repatriation.

Myanmar authorities said those returned had completed sentences for immigration-related offences in Malaysia.

Human rights organisations, including Fortify Rights, have repeatedly documented poor conditions inside Malaysian immigration detention centres. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said its staff were denied access to the detainees last week, preventing them from determining whether the decision to return had been made freely and with informed consent.

Malaysia is reportedly preparing to repatriate a second group of more than 3,500 Myanmar nationals, arguing that undocumented migrants have become an economic, social and security burden.

Myanmar's military leader, Min Aung Hlaing, who assumed the role of civilian president in April, is expected to visit Malaysia soon to discuss the repatriation programme.

Although Myanmar has pledged that returns will be conducted in a "safe and dignified" manner, rights advocates remain sceptical.

"It is impossible to predict how the junta will treat those who have been returned," Yap Lay Sheng, a senior human rights specialist at Fortify Rights, told AFP.

According to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), more than 100,000 people have been killed since Myanmar's 2021 military coup. One of the deadliest recent incidents occurred late last month, when a military airstrike killed at least 50 people.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Tuesday that "this is not the time to forcibly return anyone to a country where serious human rights violations and abuses continue."