Malaysia has no intention to interfere in Myanmar’s affairs despite voicing concern over the welfare of Rohingya

COX´S BAZAR (BANGLADESH) — While Malaysia has repeatedly spoken out on the plight of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, it was never Putrajaya´s intention to interfere in the internal affairs of another country, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Tuesday (Oct 17).

He also announced that Malaysia will station an attache at its High Commission in Bangladesh to help the Rohingya refugees who have fled to the South Asian country since violence erupted two months ago in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state.

Mr Zahid said Malaysia is vocal on the plight of the Rohingya Muslims because the current situation had turned into a humanitarian issue, and his visit to a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh showed that it had become a perennial problem.

“Because it cannot be handled by Bangladesh alone, intervention by other countries including Malaysia is necessary. Malaysia feels that this humanitarian problem has to be resolved through regional collaboration in particular among Asean (Association of South-east Asian Nations) countries,” national news agency Bernama quoted him as saying.

“Myanmar is an Asean member state but humanitarian issues transcend boundaries. That´s why Malaysia through the Prime Minister insisted for Myanmar to resolve the problem, assisted by international organisations. ‘Ethnic cleansing’ should not have happened in Rakhine, Myanmar.”

More than 500,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since Aug 25, when Myanmar security forces clamped down after new attacks on police posts by a Rohingya militant group.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands of homes burned in what many Rohingya have described as a systematic effort by Myanmar’s military to drive them out.

The government has blamed the Rohingya, saying they set fire to their own homes, but the United Nations and others accuse the country of ethnic cleansing.

Many new Rohingya refugees are still crossing the border into Bangladesh on Tuesday, heightening fears that the influx will worsen the unprecedented humanitarian emergency unfolding in Cox’s Bazar, where aid workers are battling to provide refugees with food, clean water and shelter.

Since the violence against the Rohinya began, Malaysia has adopted a tough stance on the issue.

Prime Minister Najib Razak had previously spoken out about the need to address the issue effectively. He had also raised the matter with United States President Donald Trump during his recent trip to the White House.
Mr Zahid, meanwhile, had criticised Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s handling of the crisis and had repeatedly called for the country’s armed forces and political leaders to be compassionate towards the Rohingya minority.

And in what may be Putrajaya’s most direct intervention into an international humanitarian crisis, Mr Zahid announced on Monday that Malaysia will build a RM3.5 million (S$1.12 million) field hospital at a refugee camp in Bangladesh housing Rohingya refugees.

Mr Zahid on Tuesday said Malaysia will place a humanitarian and welfare attache at its high commission in Dhaka to help manage relief efforts for the refugees.

“The attache will not only help to coordinate assistance coming from many sources for the Rohingya, but will ensure that aid will be distributed properly,” The Star quoted him as saying.

He also said Malaysia will propose a United Nations resolution seeking to create a safe zone for the Rohingya to ensure their safe return to their homeland. The safe zone could be monitored by either UN observers or security officials, he added. AGENCIES