48 Kenyans rescued from Myanmar arrive home, 77 still awaiting repatriation

A total of 48 Kenyans who were rescued by the government in Myanmar have arrived in the country, leaving 77 more awaiting repatriation.

The individuals, who landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 6am on Saturday aboard a Kenya Airways plane, were received and debriefed by a multi-agency team led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Kenyan Ambassador to Thailand Lindsay Kiptiness said embassy officials in Thailand received the rescued Kenyans at the Friendship Bridge 2 on the Thailand-Myanmar border on Friday morning before taking them to Thailand's Bangkok airport.

Efforts to speak to the returnees in Nairobi were futile. The multi-agency team informed Citizen TV that they were undergoing medical and security checks before being released back to their families. The officials also stated that some of the returnees were in poor condition.

Kenyans who remain at the KK Park on the border of Myanmar and Thailand are calling on the government to expedite the repatriation process, saying their living conditions are deteriorating with each passing day.

“An agent brought me here; I didn’t know what job I would be doing. They later told me that I’d be scamming people. When I tried to tell them that I didn’t want to do the job, they demanded USD 4,000 from me, which I didn’t have. So, I ended up doing the scamming,” Shiko, a Kenyan in Myanmar, said.

The Kenyan embassy has received another authenticated list of 36 Kenyans who are waiting for authorization from both Myanmar and Thailand governments to cross over. 77 more Kenyans are yet to start the process.

“We don’t have any update on when we are supposed to start the immigration process but we are hopeful that the Kenyan will make it possible for us to get out of this horrible place,” another Kenyan in Myanmar said.

Authorities from Thailand, China, and Myanmar last month dismantled scam centers along the Thai-Myanmar border and freed thousands of foreigners, but repatriation is a challenge, especially for those that do not have embassies in Thailand.