Malaysia begins first phase of Myanmar repatriations

Malaysia began the first phase of a programme to return Myanmar nationals on Tuesday, with the Home Ministry saying 1,476 people had been identified for repatriation. The process began amid warnings from the U.N. refugee agency and rights groups that conditions in Myanmar do not support safe returns. It has not been independently confirmed that the group reached Myanmar. The Home Ministry said the programme would proceed in stages and could involve as many as 5,000 people. Witnesses reported buses arriving near the Lumut naval base in Perak, where Myanmar naval vessels were docked. Authorities said the returns were voluntary and that the first group had been identified by Myanmar’s government. They have not released a breakdown of the group’s ethnic backgrounds or refugee status, or confirmed whether Rohingya were included. The broader figure of 5,000 also appears in separate remarks by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who said Myanmar had agreed to accept as many as 5,000 Rohingya. That statement does not establish that Rohingya were part of Tuesday’s group.