NEARLY 1,500 Myanmar migrants deported from Malaysia arrived in their war-torn homeland on Sunday, according to a naval official from the junta-ruled nation.
Three vessels carrying the migrants docked at the Myanmar Navy base in Thanlyin shortly before 7.30am local time, an official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Hundreds of relatives gathered outside the naval base from the early hours of the morning, with cars, taxis, and buses lined up to receive their returning family members.
Kyaw Myint, 55, who arrived to pick up his three grandchildren after they spent 18 months in Malaysian detention centres, expressed grave concern that the youths might now face forced conscription into the Myanmar military or armed ethnic groups. He stated that the family had lost all contact with them once they were detained in prison.
Concerns have also been raised that members of the persecuted Rohingya minority may be included in the deported cohort following announcements by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim regarding the repatriation exercise, though official confirmation remains pending.
The three naval ships departed Malaysia on Tuesday carrying 1,476 migrants, representing the initial batch of a broader agreement to repatriate up to 5,000 Myanmar nationals.
The arrival comes as Myanmar remains engulfed in civil conflict following the 2021 military coup, with human rights monitors reporting over 100,000 fatalities to date.
The United Nations has warned that safety conditions inside the country cannot be guaranteed under international law, with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk stating that it is not the time to forcibly return anyone to a nation plagued by grave human rights violations. - October 4, 2026
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