President U Min Aung Hlaing highlighted the complementary strengths of the two economies. My­anmar provides links to the Bay of Bengal and South Asia, while Malaysia is an established maritime trade and manufacturing hub within ASEAN. Con­necting Myanmar’s natu­ral resources and special economic zones with Ma­laysian investment, indus­trial expertise, and logistics capacity could help develop more resilient regional val­ue chains and create op­portunities for businesses in both countries.

Migrant Worker Wel­fare and Repatriation

Labour cooperation and migration manage­ment were key priorities in the Putrajaya discussions. With more than 160,000 doc­umented Myanmar nation­als working in Malaysia’s manufacturing, construc­tion, plantation, and service sectors, both governments emphasized worker wel­fare and effective migration arrangements.

President U Min Aung Hlaing called for stronger implementation of bilateral memoranda of understand­ing on labour cooperation.
Priorities included safe and regular labour migration pathways, workplace safe­ty, fair remuneration, and protection against exploita­tive recruitment practices. The Myanmar delegation also expressed appreci­ation for the welfare and healthcare support provid­ed to Myanmar workers by the Malaysian authorities.

The two leaders dis­cussed consular cooper­ation and arrangements to facilitate the return of Myanmar nationals held in Malaysian immigration fa­cilities. Prime Minister An­war welcomed Myanmar’s commitment to covering the full cost of repatriating its nationals. According to the account presented during the visit, more than 10,493 citizens had already returned by chartered flights and naval vessels.

President U Min Aung Hlaing confirmed that naval vessels would be despatched when mar­itime conditions permit­ted, following verification of the nationals eligible for return. Continued coor­dination between the two governments can improve the efficiency of these ar­rangements while safe­guarding the dignity, safe­ty, and rights of returning nationals.

Cooperation Against Transnational Crime

Both leaders recog­nized that narcotics traf­ficking, online fraud, and human trafficking are interconnected regional challenges requiring coor­dinated action. Their dis­cussions highlighted oppor­tunities to strengthen law enforcement cooperation, information sharing, and assistance to victims.

President U Min Aung Hlaing outlined Myanmar’s legal and operational measures against online fraud, in­cluding legislation enact­ed on 31 July to address online scams and illegal gambling. He stated that criminal networks had established operations in remote border areas beyond effective govern­ment control, including areas controlled by ethnic armed organizations.

The President also described operations to dismantle scam com­pounds and destroy contraband in coordina­tion with neighbouring countries. Cooperation among Myanmar’s Cen­tral Committee for Drug Abuse Control, the Roy­al Malaysia Police, and Malaysia’s National An­ti-Drugs Agency provides a channel for exchang­ing information and co­ordinating enforcement. These efforts also support the rescue and return of foreign nationals, includ­ing Malaysians, affected by trafficking and related criminal activities.

Policy Dialogue and Research Cooperation

A notable feature of the visit was the attention given to policy research and dialogue among think tanks. Alongside official discussions, the Malaysia-Myanmar Co­operation Dialogue at the Prime Minister’s official residence provided a fo­rum for examining bilat­eral priorities and longer-term opportunities.

The forum was or­ganized by the Institute of Strategic and Inter­national Studies (ISIS Malaysia) and the Myan­mar Institute of Strategic and International Studies (MISIS). The Myanmar Narrative Think Tank also delivered a presenta­tion and participated in the discussions, contrib­uting analysis, strategic perspectives, and policy recommendations.