Myanmar warship carrying back illegal immigrants from Malaysia

YANGON - A warship of Myanmar navy is on the way of carrying back 102 Myanmar illegal immigrants from Malaysia and is due to arrive home this weekend, according to the military-run Myawaddy media Thursday.

With the 102 Myanmar illegal immigrants on board repatriated by Malaysian authorities, the Warship Maha Thiha Thura is returning home after taking part in the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2015 held in Langkawi Island last week.

The Myanmar immigrants, who entered Malaysia illegally, were kept at detention camps as they have no certificate of identification to return home.

There are more than 400,000 Myanmar immigrants reportedly working in Malaysia, of whom about 300,000 are legal workers, while about 40,000 are illegal with the rest in various procedures for refugee status.

Meanwhile, Myanmar authorities are cooperating with their Malaysian counterparts to protect Myanmar citizens working in the Southeast Asian country where Myanmar citizens are often targeted victims of violence and murder.

In September 2013, Myanmar started to recall its citizens detained in Malaysia for illegally working there.

According to earlier statistics, a total of 7,827 Myanmar migrant workers have returned to Yangon from Malaysia as of September 2014.