More than 100 migrant workers arrested and detained in Malaysia are to be repatriated by the Burmese navy, a government statement said on Friday.

The migrants will be brought home on 25 March aboard the Maha Thiha Thura, which has been participating in an international maritime and airshow at Langkawi, Malaysia, from 17- 21 March.

Most of the 100-plus migrants were arrested for visa overstay and have been detained in prison for around three months, said Thiha Kyaw, a source close to the Burmese embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

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Speaking to DVB on Friday, he said, “It was agreed the migrant workers would be allowed to return home during the recent visit by President Thein Sein.”

The official arrangement to repatriate Burmese migrant workers marks the first time Naypyidaw has provided naval transportation for deportees. During a previous incident, a senior Burmese monk named Thidagu arranged a charter flight to bring back a group of migrants from Malaysia.