Fallen Aussie servicemen buried overseas successfully repatriated to Australia

The remains of 33 Australians who were buried in military cemeteries in Malaysia and Singapore have on Thursday been successfully repatriated to Australia.

Families, friends and veterans were on hand to witness the arrival in Australia of the fallen, who were buried at the Terendak Military Cemetery in Malaysia, and the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore after being killed in action during the Vietnam War.

The return of the remains brings to an end a year-long mission to take the fallen soldiers home after their families were given the option by the then-Abbott government in 2015 to have their loved ones repatriated to be peacefully laid to rest in Australia.

At the welcome ceremony, Federal Veterans Affairs Minister Dan Tehan said it was a struggle to secure the safe and dignified repatriation of the deceased, but in the end it was the right thing to do.

"Getting access for the families into where they were buried was extraordinarily difficult," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday.

"In Malaysia, for instance, it's still a working military base."

Meanwhile, Ken Corke from Adelaide's Office of Australian War Graves said while it was wonderful to welcome home the deceased servicemen, it would still be a "difficult" day for family members.

"We're pretty clear now that there's going to be a range of different emotions today. (People will be) extremely happy that the 50 years of waiting has finally come to fruition," he said.

"But equally for some, the grief is as raw today as it was 50 years ago. And for some of them, they will find it a very difficult day."

The offer to have the remains repatriated was taken up by the families of 33 of the servicemen and dependents who were previously laid to rest in Malaysia and Singapore. Endit