Myanmar has agreed to take back 300,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh and 5,000 from Malaysia, the Malaysian prime minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has said.
He gave the information at a public rally in the town of Chennah in the west-coast state of Negeri Sembilan on Wednesday. Myanmar had agreed to take back the Rohingya after talks between the two countries.
Anwar Ibrahim said: “This success is a reflection of Malaysia’s strong diplomatic relations. As part of the repatriation programme, Myanmar has agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya from Malaysia and 300,000 from Bangladesh.”
He said: “We have held talks. That is why it is important to maintain good relations with other countries. These matters require careful diplomacy.”
Anwar stressed that Malaysia would not tolerate public order being disrupted by Rohingya refugees. He instructed the inspector general of police to take strict action against those who create disorder.
The prime minister said: “It was previously difficult to implement calls for the deportation of the Rohingya. Myanmar too had refused to accept them. People say to send them back. But where would we send them? Myanmar did not want to take them before. So they had to be kept in a designated place.”
Anwar Ibrahim also called on the Rohingya community living in Malaysia to obey local laws and to refrain from causing public inconvenience.
He added: “Malaysia is our country. Others should not disrupt it. For that we must stand firm.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report