Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced that Myanmar has agreed to take back an initial group of 5,000 Rohingya refugees currently living in Malaysia. The decision came after bilateral negotiations between the two countries.
Anwar also said Myanmar had agreed to accept the return of around 300,000 Rohingya refugees currently living in Bangladesh, though he did not specify a timeline.
Speaking at an event on Wednesday, Anwar described the agreement as a first step toward resolving the long‑standing Rohingya refugee issue and maintaining public order in Malaysia, reports Anadolu.
“People say ‘send them back, send them back’. Send them back to where? Myanmar didn’t want to take them,” he said.
“That’s why good relations with Myanmar matter. Now they’ve agreed to take 5,000 people first.”
Malaysia hosts one of the largest Rohingya refugee populations in the region, many of whom fled persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
The announcement followed recent unrest in Malaysia, where more than 100 Rohingya left a settlement in Penang and gathered outside the UN refugee agency’s office in Kuala Lumpur. Authorities later relocated them to temporary sites in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Penang.
Anwar stressed that Malaysia would continue talks with Myanmar to seek a long‑term solution to the regional refugee crisis.
The Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Myanmar, face discrimination, persecution, and statelessness. Many attempt dangerous sea crossings to escape hardship.
Since 2017, violent crackdowns by Myanmar’s military and armed groups have forced hundreds of thousands to flee. More than 1.3 million now live in Bangladesh, while others have reached Indonesia and Malaysia after perilous journeys.
