Kuala Lumpur uses naval ships to ferry Myanmar nationals home

Malaysia's immigration authorities have launched a coordinated effort to repatriate Myanmar nationals held in detention. The first wave, comprising 1,476 people, embarked from three Myanmar naval vessels, including a ship configured as a floating hospital, and set sail toward Myanmar coastal ports.

The cohort includes 1,370 men, 79 women, 20 boys and seven girls, ages ranging from eight to 60 years. They were gathered from 14 immigration depots across the federation, with the majority sourced from the Belantik depot in Kedah and the Tanah Merah depot in Kelantan.

Identity verification was carried out by the Myanmar government, and the names were formally transferred to Malaysia through a diplomatic note dated 13 August 2026. The Immigration Department spearheaded the operation, overseeing identity checks, documentation, inter‑agency liaison, security protocols and logistics.

The Maritime Enforcement Agency, Marine Police and the Royal Malaysian Navy escorted two Myanmar warships and the hospital ship up to Malaysia's maritime boundary before handing over command. Officials described the process as a voluntary, safe and responsible repatriation in line with agreed procedures with the Myanmar authorities.

Future stages could involve up to 5,000 additional Myanmar citizens, but the Immigration Department will first assess the first‑phase outcomes—paperwork, security, logistics and inter‑agency coordination—before advancing. The scale and timing of later phases will depend on Malaysian government decisions, completion of identity verification, operational readiness and continued dialogue with Myanmar.