Malaysia starts repatriating Myanmar migrants

International

MALAYSIA has started repatriating around 1,500 Myanmar nationals as part of the first phase of its return programme that has been questioned by rights groups.

The repatriated individuals were of the first of 5,000 Myanmar nationals who have agreed to "voluntary" repatriation from detention centres.

In a report by CNN, dozens of buses arrived under police escort at the Majlis Perbandaran Manjung stadium near the Lumut naval base in northwestern Malaysia.

The migrants were expected to be processed before being brought to a nearby naval base and taken to Myanmar by ship.

It was unclear how many in the group were Rohingya, and Malaysian authorities did not divulge the number.

But the persecuted Muslim minority makes up two-thirds of the 190,000 Myanmar refugees and asylum seekers in the country, according to the United Nations.

The repatriation came after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced in July that Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 members of the Rohingya, in a rare repatriation push that has prompted concern from rights groups.(MyTVCebu)