Myanmar agrees to take back 300,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh: Malaysian PM

Myanmar’s junta government has agreed to repatriate 300,000 Rohingyas from Bangladesh as part of a repatriation process, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim revealed on Wednesday, according to Malaysia-based news outlet The Star.

Anwar Ibrahim informed reporters that the Myanmar government has also agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya from Malaysia. He stated that Myanmar agreed to accept the Rohingyas following discussions between the two countries.

The prime minister added, “They have now agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingyas from Malaysia and 300,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh. Why? Because we negotiated. That is why maintaining good relations with other countries is important. These matters require careful diplomacy.”

At the same time, Anwar Ibrahim stressed that any public disorder caused by Rohingya refugees in Malaysia would not be tolerated. He also stated that he had instructed the inspector-general of police to take strict action against individuals creating unrest in public places.

The Malaysian prime minister said, “This is our country. Malaysia is our country. Others should not disrupt it. That is why we have to be firm.”

Demands to deport the Rohingyas have long been raised in Malaysia. However, Prime Minister Ibrahim noted that had previously been difficult to implement because Myanmar had refused to accept them.

“People say ‘send them back, send them back’. But where do we send them? Previously, Myanmar did not want to receive them. “So we had to place them in designated locations,” he said.

The Malaysian prime minister also urged the Rohingya community in Malaysia to respect local laws and avoid causing inconvenience to the public.