Planes, not just ships: Myanmar says most migrants returned from Malaysia flew home, as UN criticises Putrajaya’s scheme

Myanmar has repatriated nearly 10,000 migrants from Malaysia this year, state media reported on Monday, following a flotilla that returned almost 1,500 citizens a day earlier. The United Nations has criticized Malaysia's repatriation scheme, alleging it cannot guarantee safe returnees to Myanmar.

On Sunday, a group of 1,476 returnees arrived by ship in Yangon, the first wave of 5,000 Myanmar agreed to accept amid anti-migrant sentiment in Malaysia. Human rights monitors have expressed concerns that Rohingya refugees may be among those sent back, as they have faced persecution in Myanmar. However, Malaysia has not disclosed the ethnicities of those returning.

Myanmar revealed on Monday that 8,041 citizens were repatriated by air between January and August, while the ship returns have received more media attention in Malaysia. The total number of migrants repatriated by plane and ship this year is 9,517.

Myanmar claims returnees agreed to voluntary repatriation from detention centers, where they faced difficulties after serving immigration-related sentences. Yet rights groups report dire conditions in these facilities, and the UN refugee agency says its staff were not allowed to verify the free and informed nature of the return decisions.

Over 100,000 people have been killed in Myanmar since a military coup in 2021, according to ACLED. The Rohingya, who constitute two-thirds of the 190,000 Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, have been the target of recent anti-migrant sentiment.