Malaysia begins repatriating 5,000 Myanmar nationals despite persecution warnings

Malaysia has begun sending Myanmar nationals back to Myanmar, with the first group of 1,500 departing on Tuesday as part of a 5,000-person voluntary repatriation scheme. The move comes amid rising anti-migrant sentiment in Malaysia and despite UN and rights group warnings that returnees may face persecution in the war-torn country. The key uncertainty is whether the returns are truly voluntary and what fate awaits the returnees.