Myanmar Refugees Undergo Thorough Screening Before Repatriation

PETALING JAYA: All Myanmar refugees involved in the first phase of the Repatriation Programme in Lumut, Perak, on Sept 29 underwent thorough screening and verification before being voluntarily, safely and humanely repatriated.

The Home Ministry (KDN) said the process included identification and verification of citizenship, documentation, health screenings and identity checks.

According to the ministry, the list of names of each individual was verified by the Myanmar government and submitted to Malaysia through a Diplomatic Note dated Aug 13.

This was followed by coordination involving security, logistics and arrangements for their reception in their home country.

“For the first phase of the programme, the final process 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 ensured that the repatriation process was carried out safely, systematically, responsibly and with dignity, based on the processes and procedures agreed upon by both countries,” the ministry said in a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on the programme.

KDN said the programme was part of the government’s approach to addressing irregular migration and undocumented migrants through law enforcement, detainee management and orderly, safe and responsible repatriation to their countries of origin.

It said the initiative could shorten unnecessary periods of detention while reducing 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.

KDN said the high number of detainees and prolonged detention periods had placed pressure on depot capacity while also resulting in significant expenditure for the government.

As such, the Repatriation Programme was developed as a bilateral cooperation initiative between Malaysia and Myanmar to repatriate Myanmar detainees in phases.

Under the initiative, the Myanmar government has expressed its commitment to accepting the return of 5,000 of its nationals this year.

KDN said the programme’s direction was decided at the government level, with the ministry acting as coordinator and the Immigration Department of Malaysia serving as the main operational agency.

The operation also involved the Foreign Ministry, National Security Council, Defence Ministry, RMN and other relevant security agencies.

The first phase of the programme on Sept 29 saw 1,476 Myanmar refugees repatriated aboard three Myanmar Navy vessels, including a hospital ship.

The operation involved detainees from 14 Immigration Detention Depots nationwide, with the highest numbers coming from the Belantik Depot in Kedah and the Tanah Merah Depot in Kelantan.

Meanwhile, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil had previously said that 3,524 Myanmar detainees had been approved for voluntary repatriation to their home country under the programme’s second phase.

UTUSAN