Overview
- The first phase, which returned about 1,476 people on Tuesday, Sept. 29, sent detainees from Malaysia’s Lumut naval base aboard Myanmar vessels, Malaysian officials say.
- Malaysia says a second phase of roughly 3,524 approved returnees is planned but has not set a date, and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim defends the effort as a diplomatic response to long-term migration pressure.
- UNHCR and rights groups say they were excluded from identifying or assessing those deported and warn returns could be involuntary or expose people to arrest, forced conscription, or other abuses.
- Human Rights Watch and other advocates urge Malaysia to stop further deportations and grant UNHCR access to immigration detention centers so asylum claims can be reviewed.
- The operation raises questions about legitimizing Myanmar’s military leadership because Min Aung Hlaing faces allegations of serious abuses and an ICC prosecutor has sought an arrest warrant.