Malaysia begins sending thousands of Myanmar nationals back to war-torn homeland

Malaysia began an operation to send nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals back to their war-torn homeland on Tuesday, pressing ahead with a government-to-government repatriation deal despite warnings that returnees could face persecution and forced conscription.

The first group of 1,476 is part of an agreement to return 5,000 people held in Malaysian immigration facilities under a programme Kuala Lumpur describes as voluntary, though human rights groups say it lacks adequate safeguards.

Buses accompanied by security vehicles arrived at a stadium near the Lumut naval base in Perak state on Tuesday morning before moving towards the port, where three Myanmar naval vessels were docked, Reuters reported.

This Week in Asia was told that only selected media could cover the operation when it sought access.