19 January 2017•Update: 19 January 2017
By P Prem Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Thursday called on the Myanmar government to immediately stop all forms of military violence against the minority Rohingya Muslims to ensure with all Islamic countries.
"As a true and friend to Myanmar, I say this from the bottom of my heart - it is time to end this crisis [in Rakhine state]," Razak told the special extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Rohingya.
The one-day forum is being held in Kuala Lumpur with the attendance of foreign ministers of all 57 member countries.
The premier urged an immediate end to the persecution of the Rohingya.
"For a start, the killing must stop; the burning of houses must stop; the violation of women and girls must stop; the persecution of your fellow men and women, simply on the grounds that they are Muslim, must stop; and the denial of basic rights to your fellow human beings must stop," he warned. Razak went on to say that the OIC strongly urged the Myanmar government to provide unimpeded access for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the affected areas.
He said Malaysia would contribute $2.25 million to assist in humanitarian efforts and social rehabilitation projects in Rakhine State, which would be used to build infrastructure, such as educational and medical institutions.
"At the same time, we call on the Myanmar government to facilitate the safe and dignified return of refugees to their homes and communities," he said, adding that Malaysia currently hosted some 50,000 Rohingya refugees.
Razak said the OIC feared that militant elements could infiltrate and possibly radicalize the "oppressed community" if the situation was not properly addressed.
He said the OIC member states were well aware that terrorist such as Daesh could seek to take advantage of this situation.
"This should concern the international community as a whole, as the threat of a new home for terrorist groups has the potential to cause death and destruction well beyond this region."
He also stressed that Malaysia's public position on the plight of Rohingya was not a case of interference in Myanmar's internal affairs.
However, the prime minister said countries could not be expected to remain silent, especially in cases when the domestic affairs of a country led to regional instability.
Rohingya advocacy groups claim hundreds of Rohingya have been killed in military operations in northern Rakhine since the Oct. 9 deaths of nine Myanmar border police officials, while Myanmar says just 91 people -- 17 soldiers and 74 alleged "attackers" -- have been killed.
Humanitarian outfits have called for an independent probe into the initial attacks, the ongoing operations and reported rapes and rights abuses in Rakhine, as with the area placed under military lockdown, rights groups and international reporters have been unable to enter.
Since October, Malaysia has criticized Myanmar's government and military over violence in Rakhine -- which some officials have called an "ethnic cleansing" -- canceling two football matches scheduled to take place in Myanmar in January and requesting an immediate appointment with Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi.
Last December, the deputy director general of the Myanmar President’s Office responded by saying that the principles of the regional body, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- in which both countries are member states -- prohibited members from interfering in each other’s internal affairs.
Zaw Htay told the Myanmar Times that they would also speak to the Malaysian ambassador regarding an anti-Myanmar protest and ask if the Malaysian prime minister were participating.
"If so, we will monitor the event," Zaw Htay said.
Last December, Razak led thousands of rally participants -- including thousands of Rohingya, many of them refugees -- to firmly tell Suu Kyi -- a Nobel Peace laureate -- "that enough is enough".
"I asked my foreign minister to immediately meet her to find a resolution to the issue but she rejected it immediately," he had said.
"She told my minister that she was willing to meet on Malaysia and Myanmar bilateral issues but not on Rohingya. This is the mentality class of a Nobel Peace Prize winner."
Razak also accused Myanmar’s government of having "warned" him about organizing the rally, but stressed that the Malaysian government was "not afraid of such diplomatic pressures".
