Malaysia (September 5, 2017): The Malaysian Foreign Ministry summoned Myanmar Ambassador to Malaysia, U Sein Oo to express Malaysia’s displeasure on the latest violence in the Rakhine State.
The message was conveyed by deputy secretary-general for bilateral affairs Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin to the Myanmar ambassador during the meeting at Wisma Putra in Putrajaya.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman also said in a statement that Malaysia was gravely concerned over the continuous violence perpetrated against the Rohingyas in the Rakhine state.
He said despite repeated calls by Asean members for Myanmar to find a solution to the issue in a peaceful manner, the country had not shown the will nor the desire to do so.
“Though the Myanmar government has given its assurance to implement measures to solve the problem, the recent incidents of violence as widely reported by the media show that little, if any, progress has been achieved,” he said.
Given these developments, Anifah said Malaysia believed the matter of sustained violence and discrimination against the Rohingyas should be elevated to a higher international forum.
The foreign minister also said, as the nobel laureate who stood up for the principles of human rights, the international community had placed high expectations on Aung San Suu Kyi to achieve national peace and reconciliation in Myanmar.
“It is Malaysia’s hope that she will be able to fulfil these expectations soon,” he said.
In a separate statement, Wisma Putra said the ministry conveyed the Malaysian government’s grave concerns regarding the allegation on the escalation of violence as a result of security operations to take action on the perpetrators of the attack on August 25.
“It was stressed that security measures taken following the attacks must not lead to another humanitarian crisis,” it said, further stressing for unimpeded humanitarian access to be given to those affected by the current situation in Rakhine.
Wisma Putra said Malaysia recognised the complexity of the situation in Rakhine and urged Myanmar to address the situation, including the root causes of the problem.
“If the current situation in Rakhine is not addressed judiciously, it would result in the fleeing of more Rohingyas to neighbouring countries, including Malaysia. It would also see more people in Rakhine become increasingly vulnerable to recruitment by extremists. Both have the potential to greatly impact the security and stability of the region,” it added.
Wisma Putra said the Malaysian government viewed that it was vital for the Myanmar government to speedily implement the recommendations of the final report of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine state.
In this regard, it reiterated Malaysia’s readiness to extend support and assist Myanmar to address the complex challenges in the Rakhine state.
In a related matter, it said Anifah had telephone conversations with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, focusing on the plight of the Rohingya people, including a proposal to convene a special meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
International media reported that the recent violence by the Myanmar security forces against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine was one of the worst in the history of the republic, with more than 90,000 having fled to Bangladesh and some trapped in the mountains without basic supplies. – Bernama, September 5, 2017.
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