Malaysia and Indonesia will no longer turn away boats carrying migrants, many of whom are Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya Muslims who escape violence in their own country.

On Wednesday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, at a joint press briefing with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi, announced that the two countries will offer shelter to thousands of migrants adrift at sea on rickety boats.

However, the top Malaysian official noted that the offer of assistance and shelter was applicable only to those now at sea.

“What we have clearly stated is that we will take in only those people in the high sea,” the Malaysian foreign minister said in Kuala Lumpur, adding, “But under no circumstances would we be expected to take each one of them if there is an influx of others.”

The Malaysian foreign minister underlined that the international community also had a responsibility to help them deal with the ongoing migrant crisis.

“We also agreed to offer them temporary shelter provided that the resettlement and repatriation process will be done in one year by the international community,” Anifah stated.

The foreign ministers of Malaysia and Indonesia earlier met with Thai Foreign Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn in the Malaysian capital to discuss the influx of migrants. Thailand, however, refrained from participating in the offer, with Tanasak saying he must check with his government first.

Malaysian intelligence estimates put the number of migrants still stranded at sea at about 7,000 people. More than 3,000 have landed in Malaysia and Indonesia in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Joe Lowry, a Bangkok-based spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), has described the Wednesday announcement as “extremely good news.”

“It is a brave and timely move by Malaysia and Indonesia. They have to get these people ashore. We can help them get them back on their feet and help them resettle to third countries.”

The Thai government has been criticized for pushing boatloads of Rohingya Muslims entering Thai waters back out to sea, and for holding migrants in overcrowded facilities.

The Muslim minority group has witnessed attacks by extremist Buddhists in Myanmar. The violence has forced nearly 100,000 of them to flee the country.

According to the United Nations, the Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. They have faced torture, neglect and repression since Myanmar’s independence in 1948. Rohingya refugees mostly flee to neighboring countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

JR/HSN/GHN