About 1,500 people re-sent from Malaysia today arrived in Burma, a Navy officer announced in the first phase of a programme that human rights associations consider dangerous for these people.
© Reuters
04/10/2026
by
Lusa
O group of 1,476 migrants is part of a total of 5,000 Burmese who, according to Kuala Lumpur, accepted a “voluntary” return to detention centers at a time when Malaysia sees increased hostility towards exiles.
After arriving by boat at a Burmese naval base in Thanlyin, dozens of people were transported to a Buddhist monastery for administrative procedures and health examinations, journalists from the France Press Agency noted.
“ I haven’t seen my family yet,” said Kyaw Swar Thein, 53, who worked in a coffee shop in Malaysia before being arrested.
During his arrest, one year and eight months, he contracted mange, he said, adding that the disease influenced the decision to return.
“I expect nothing,” he confessed, among the ranks of men sitting on the ground.
Human rights organisations stressed that the poor conditions for the arrest of Burmese in Malaysia led them to accept the return programme.
They also insist on the danger of a return to the country, devastated by civil war since the military coup d'état of 2021.
The conflict has already killed more than 100,000 people, according to Acled.