Myanmar agrees to take back 300,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh – Malaysian Prime Minister
Myanmar has agreed to take back nearly 300,000 Rohingya who have taken refuge in Bangladesh. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said this is an important step in resolving the long-standing Rohingya crisis. At the same time, Myanmar has agreed to take back another 5,000 Rohingya living in Malaysia in the first phase. Source: Anadolu Agency.
Speaking at an event on Wednesday (July 29), Anwar Ibrahim said that the agreement was possible as a result of recent bilateral talks with Myanmar. However, he did not specify a specific time frame for when the repatriation of the 300,000 Rohingya living in Bangladesh would begin.
According to local media Free Malaysia Today, he said that many are talking about sending them back. But where will they be sent? Myanmar has not wanted to take them in for a long time. He also said that good relations with Myanmar are important. Now they have agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya in the first phase.
Millions of Rohingya who fled persecution and violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state have now taken refuge in countries including Bangladesh and Malaysia. Bangladesh is home to the world’s largest Rohingya refugee population, with more than 1.3 million Rohingya taking refuge. Anwar said talks with Myanmar would continue to find a lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis. He described the agreement as a positive step towards regional stability and resolving the humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, the announcement came at a time when hundreds of Rohingya who had fled a settlement in Malaysia’s Penang state gathered in front of the office of the UN refugee agency UNHCR in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian authorities later transferred them to temporary shelters in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang. It is worth noting that millions of Rohingya have been forced to leave the country since the military crackdown in Myanmar began in 2017. Most of them have taken refuge in Bangladesh, while many have risked their lives by sea to countries including Malaysia and Indonesia.
