Malaysia to repatriate first batch of 1,476 Myanmar nationals on Sept 29

Malaysia has announced its intention to repatriate the first batch of 1,476 Myanmar nationals on September 29 as part of a voluntary repatriation programme. The move, which will be carried out using two Myanmar naval warships and a hospital ship, comes after coordination between the Home Ministry, Foreign Ministry, National Security Council, and Defence Ministry.

The repatriation program, which will involve 5,000 eligible Myanmar refugees, was agreed upon following a meeting involving various Malaysian government agencies. Malaysia prioritizes the safety and welfare of the refugees and stressed the importance of verifying the security situation before any return. The repatriation process will be conducted in stages, with 4,008 of the individuals slated for processing this year being channelled into the Refugee Registration Document (DPP) programme, while the remaining 5,000 will undergo the voluntary repatriation.

As of August 15, there were 10,388 Myanmar nationals held at Immigration Detention Depots, with the DPP registration exercise for this group expected to conclude in the fourth quarter of 2026.

Brief written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.