Myanmar migrants returned to war-torn nation from Malaysia

THANLYIN, Malaysia

Myanmar migrants repatriated from Malaysia arrive at a temple during their official welcoming process in Thanlyin on October 4, 2026. (AFP Photo)

Nearly 1,500 Myanmar migrants from Malaysia returned to their war-ravaged home country on Oct. 4 under an opaque repatriation scheme that rights monitors say cannot assure their safety.

Dozens of migrants were transported on buses to a Buddhist monastery hall for immigration and health checks, AFP journalists saw, after the returnees arrived by Myanmar Navy ships that docked at the nearby base in Thanlyin.

“I haven’t met my family yet,” said Kyaw Swar Thein, 53, who worked in a coffee shop in Malaysia before he was arrested there.

He said he suffered scabies while in detention for a year and eight months, one reason he wanted to come home. Now his future seemed unclear.

“I do not hope for anything,” he said among the rows of men sat cross-legged on the floor, some wearing T-shirts reading “We love Myanmar.”

The United Nations has warned conditions in Myanmar, which has been consumed by civil war since a 2021 military coup, mean safe homecomings cannot be guaranteed as required under international law.

Malaysia insists all returnees agreed to voluntary repatriation from detention centers, but the U.N. and rights groups have raised concerns that Myanmar migrants had little choice.

Three Myanmar Navy ships carrying migrants docked at the Thanlyin base early on Oct. 4, said a naval official whom AFP has kept anonymous as he was not authorized to speak to media.

The ships left Malaysia on Sept. 30 carrying 1,476 migrants, according to the Myanmar government, the first of 5,000 that Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says Myanmar agreed to take back.

The arrivals were due to include mostly men, as well as 27 children and 79 women, Malaysian media said.

There are concerns that members of the persecuted Rohingya are among the returned group after Anwar announced the repatriations in July against a backdrop of rising xenophobia towards refugees, particularly the Rohingya.