Australian war dead on way home from Asia

The bodies of 33 Australian servicemen and civilians are on their way home following a repatriation ceremony held in Malaysia.

Australian military personnel carry coffins during a repatriation ceremony for Australian soldiers at Subang military air base in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Source: AAP

A repatriation ceremony has been held in Malaysia for the remains of 32 Australian servicemen who died in the Vietnam War.

The coffins, each draped with an Australian flag, were loaded onto a military plane by Malaysian officers at Subang Air Base on Tuesday morning, as they make the journey to their final resting place.

The 32 servicemen and civilians who were buried in Malaysia's Terendak Military Cemetery, along with the first Australian to die in the Vietnam War, who was buried in Singapore's Kranji Cemetery, are being returned to Australia under the government-funded program.

Families of the servicemen and civilians will gather for a private service at the Richmond Royal Australian Air Force Base on Thursday morning before 33 hearses make their way to western Sydney, followed by burial in their home states.

"The repatriation is about remembering those who fought, endured and died to serve to their country," NSW Detective Superintendent Gavin Dengate said on Monday.

In May last year, then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced that the government would pay for the repatriation of the bodies.

He said the Malaysian government had tended the graves at Terendak with respect but their location in the middle of a military base meant family access was restricted.

The program means Australians killed in the Vietnam War will now receive equal repatriation treatment, following non-retrospective changes to the law in 1966 that stipulated bodies of battlefield casualties be returned to Australia for burial, the Department of Veterans Affairs says.

After Thursday's private ceremony at the Richmond air base, police will form a green light corridor to allow the procession of 33 hearses to pass through the Parramatta CBD and western Sydney.

The public will have the opportunity to pay their respects and view the funeral procession as it passes through Parramatta between 12.45pm and 1.15pm.

"We want the community to commemorate the occasion safely, and are reminding everyone to be respectful at all times," Supt Dengate said.

Reinterment services will take place across the country in the coming weeks.