KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s prime minister said today he has ordered the navy and the coast guard to comb the sea to look for stranded migrants, the first country to announce it will search for the refugees in desperate need of help instead of waiting for them to wash up on Southeast Asia’s shores.

In a positive sign, Myanmar — the country which many of the refugees, ethnic Rohingya, are fleeing — said it will attend a regional meeting in Bangkok next week, creating a chance for the nations most affected by the crisis to discuss long-term solutions. Earlier, it hinted it would skip the meeting, which will bring together more than a dozen governments from the region and beyond.

The decision came as Malaysia’s foreign minister was scheduled to visit Myanmar.

The ministry issued a delicately worded statement saying the two would “exchange views on irregular movements of people ... in Southeast Asia,” using politically correct language so as not to offend Myanmar — which refuses to shoulder any blame for the crisis or discuss the matter if the word “Rohingya” is mentioned.