Myanmar refugees convicted of offences must serve sentence in Malaysia before repatriation, says Saifuddin Nasution

SUNGAI PETANI, Oct 13 — Myanmar refugees convicted of criminal offences must serve their sentences in Malaysia before being repatriated back to Myanmar, according to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. The Myanmar government has agreed to accept back its citizens who are currently held in Immigration detention facilities in Malaysia, but only after undergoing a screening process to ensure they were not involved in any legal violations, Saifuddin stated.

Speaking after the Madani Townhall programme for Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Kedah students, he noted that a total of 5,000 Myanmar refugees are set to be repatriated based on the initial agreement between the two countries. Out of these, 1,400 have already been processed and sent back by sea. The remaining 3,600 refugees are expected to be repatriated in subsequent stages.

On October 8, Myanmar had expressed its willingness to accept the repatriation of up to 4,000 of its citizens currently detained in Malaysia's Immigration depots, as announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during a bilateral meeting with Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing in Putrajaya.