Myanmar has agreed to accept the return of around 300,000 Rohingya refugees currently living in Bangladesh, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday (July 29), adding that the military-led country had also agreed to repatriate an initial group of 5,000 Rohingya refugees from Malaysia following bilateral negotiations.

Speaking at an event, Anwar described the agreement as a first step towards addressing the long-running Rohingya refugee crisis and maintaining public order in Malaysia, according to local media outlet Free Malaysia Today.

"People say, 'Send them back, send them back.' Send them back to where? Myanmar didn't want to take them," Anwar said. "That's why good relations with Myanmar matter. Now they've agreed to take 5,000 people first."

He also said Myanmar had agreed to accept the return of around 300,000 Rohingya refugees currently sheltering in Bangladesh, although he did not provide a timeline for the repatriation or elaborate on how the process would be carried out.

The announcement came days after more than 100 Rohingya gathered outside the office of the UN refugee agency in Kuala Lumpur after leaving a settlement in the northern state of Penang. Malaysian authorities later relocated the group to temporary locations in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Penang.

Anwar said Malaysia would continue discussions with Myanmar to find a long-term solution to the regional refugee crisis.

Malaysia hosts one of the region's largest Rohingya refugee populations, many of whom fled persecution in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

The Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim minority in Myanmar, have long faced discrimination, persecution and statelessness, forcing many to undertake dangerous sea journeys in search of safety.

More than 1.3 million Rohingya refugees are currently living in Bangladesh after fleeing successive waves of violence in Myanmar, particularly the military crackdown in 2017. Smaller numbers have also reached countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia after perilous sea crossings.

FP/A