Myanmar has agreed to take back 300,000 Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh as part of ongoing repatriation efforts, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said.

Anwar said Myanmar had also agreed to repatriate 5,000 Rohingya refugees from Malaysia.

"That is why it is important to maintain good relations with Myanmar. They have now agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya from Malaysia and 300,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh to Myanmar," The Star yesterday quoted him as saying.

"Why? Because we negotiated. These matters require careful diplomacy," he added.

He made the remarks while meeting local voters in Chennah on Wednesday.