Myanmar has agreed to receive 300,000 Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh and another 5,000 from Malaysia as part of a repatriation effort, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday.
Anwar said the agreement was reached following negotiations between Malaysia and Myanmar, stressing that maintaining diplomatic relations with Myanmar was important to make progress on the Rohingya issue.
“That is why it is important to maintain good relations with Myanmar. They have now agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya from Malaysia and 300,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh to Myanmar,” he said.
Anwar made the remarks while addressing local voters in Chennah, Jelebu, on Wednesday.
He said the development was the result of careful diplomacy, noting that Myanmar had previously been unwilling to accept Rohingya refugees from Malaysia.
“People say, ‘Send them back, send them back.’ But where do we send them? Previously, Myanmar did not want to receive them,” Anwar said.
He also said Malaysia would not tolerate Rohingya refugees disrupting public order and that he had instructed the Inspector-General of Police to take firm action against those causing disturbances in public places.
Anwar urged the Rohingya community in Malaysia to respect local laws and avoid disrupting businesses, traffic and residential areas.
Malaysia hosts a large Rohingya refugee population, while Bangladesh is sheltering more than one million Rohingya who fled violence and persecution in Myanmar, particularly following the massive influx in 2017.