The Home Ministry has defended Malaysia’s repatriation mechanism for Myanmar nationals, saying those involved in the first phase underwent citizenship verification, documentation, health screening and identity checks before returning voluntarily.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said 10,000 Myanmar nationals had been repatriated to their home country since January 2026, adding that Malaysia was the first country to successfully return Myanmar detainees to their country of origin.
The first phase of the programme on Sept 29 saw 1,476 Myanmar nationals repatriated aboard three Myanmar Navy vessels, including a hospital ship.
The detainees were drawn from 14 Immigration Detention Depots nationwide, with the largest numbers coming from the Belantik Depot in Kedah and Tanah Merah Depot in Kelantan.
According to the Home Ministry, the Myanmar government had verified the list of individuals and submitted it to Malaysia through a diplomatic note dated Aug 13. This was followed by detailed coordination covering security, logistics and reception arrangements in Myanmar.
“For the first phase, final processing was carried out at the Manjung District Stadium before the individuals were taken to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) Base in Lumut for repatriation.
“The government ensures that the repatriation process is carried out safely, orderly, responsibly and with dignity, in accordance with the procedures agreed upon by both countries,” the ministry said in a Frequently Asked Questions document on the programme.
The Home Ministry said the bilateral programme forms part of the government’s broader approach to addressing irregular migration and undocumented migrants through enforcement, detention management and orderly repatriation.
It added that the mechanism would also help reduce unnecessary detention periods while easing pressure on the capacity and operating costs of Immigration Detention Depots.
“As of Aug 31, there were 11,804 Myanmar nationals detained at Immigration Detention Depots and Baitul Mahabbah facilities nationwide,” it said.
The ministry said the high number of detainees and prolonged detention periods had placed pressure on depot capacity and resulted in significant government expenditure.
Under the programme, the Myanmar government has committed to accepting the return of 5,000 of its citizens throughout 2026.
The Home Ministry acts as the coordinating ministry while the Immigration Department of Malaysia serves as the main operational agency. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Security Council, Ministry of Defence, RMN and other relevant security agencies are also involved.
Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil previously said an agreement had been reached for the voluntary repatriation of 3,524 Myanmar detainees under the programme’s second phase.
