Myanmar has agreed to take back 300,000 Rohingya sheltering in Bangladesh, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. He also said Myanmar had agreed to receive 5,000 Rohingya living in Malaysia. Anwar disclosed the information at a meeting with local voters in the Chennah area of Malaysia on Wednesday, according to a report published on July 30 by Malaysia’s The Star.

Anwar said the agreement followed long-running diplomatic discussions by Malaysia. He described maintaining good relations with Myanmar as important and said such matters must be pursued through highly careful diplomatic efforts. He said previous calls to send Rohingya back to their homeland could not be implemented because Myanmar had not agreed to receive them.

The Malaysian prime minister said Rohingya in Malaysia had therefore been kept in designated locations. He urged Rohingya living in the country to follow local laws and not cause hardship for the public. Anwar also said he had instructed the inspector-general of police to take swift action under the law if any Rohingya refugee created disorder in public gathering places or on roads.