Manjung:Malaysia has initiated the first phase of a repatriation program involving 1,476 Myanmar detainees, who are being sent back on three Myanmar naval vessels, including a hospital ship.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the detainees consist of 1,370 men, 79 women, 20 boys, and seven girls, aged between eight and 60. They were held in 14 immigration depots, with the largest groups coming from the Belantik depot in Kedah and Tanah Merah depot in Kelantan.

The Myanmar Government identified these individuals and submitted their names to Malaysia through a diplomatic note dated August 13, 2026. Coordination for their repatriation involved the Home Ministry, Foreign Ministry, National Security Council, and Defence Ministry, considering operational and logistical requirements.

Home Ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Makhzan Mahyuddin stated that vessels from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Marine Police, and the Royal Malaysian Navy would escort the Myanmar ships to the edge of Malaysian waters for security. The Immigration Department led the operation, managing identity verification, documentation, and coordination.

The repatriation program aims to manage foreign nationals and immigration detainees in an orderly manner and is conducted voluntarily and safely according to procedures agreed upon with Myanmar. Makhzan noted that the Immigration Department would review the first phase before proceeding with subsequent phases, which will eventually involve 5,000 Myanmar nationals.

Final health checks, identity verification, and documentation for the detainees were conducted at Manjung District Stadium, after which they were transported to the Lumut RMN base for repatriation. The repatriation vessels include UMS Moattama, UMS King Sin Phyu Shin, and the hospital ship UMS Thanlwin.

Approximately 850 officers and personnel from the Immigration Department, RMN, police, National Security Council, Foreign Ministry, and Home Ministry are involved in the operation. The repatriation follows an agreement between Malaysia and Myanmar, confirmed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to return around 5,000 Myanmar nationals held in Malaysia.