Malaysia deports Myanmar asylum seekers despite dangers back home – sources
Malaysia deported 150 Myanmar nationals this month, including former navy officers seeking asylum, and plans to send back more despite the risk of arrest they face at home, four sources familiar with the matter said.
The deportations come despite Malaysia’s condemnation of violence in Myanmar since the military ousted an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi last year and cracked down on dissent.
Malaysian authorities arrested six former navy officers last month and deported them by plane on Oct. 6, the sources told Reuters, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
At least one officer, Kyaw Hla, and his wife, Htay Htay Yee, were detained upon arrival back in Myanmar’s main city of Yangon, the sources said. Reuters could not establish why they were held in Yangon.
The two were deported from Malaysia for failing to hold valid documents to reside in the country, the sources said.
Rozanna Latiff and A. Ananthalakshmi
