Malaysia calls for justice over Rohingya crisis

Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah called for justice to be brought to the perpetrators of the Rohingya crisis in Burma as Southeast Asian leaders gather for a biannual summit.

The region’s leaders have faced pressure this week to take a tougher stance on Burma ahead of the gathering in Bangkok. The nation has been criticized for failing to ensure the safe repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims forced into Bangladesh.

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Saifuddin also called for the repatriation process to include citizenship for Rohingyas, the Malaysian foreign ministry said in a Twitter post on Saturday. There are some 730,000 displaced Rohingyas, and citizenship for them is something Myanmar’s government has long refused to do.

Ministers were scheduled to discuss a report by the Asean Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management that offers recommendations for repatriation. During Saturday’s summit, Indonesia proposed a timeline for the implementation of recommendations of the Preliminary Needs Assessment report, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a tweet.

The United Nations and others have accused Burmese military of murdering thousands of Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine state since 2017 with genocidal intent.

Burma’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Bangkok on Friday to participate in this weekend’s summit where Rohingya repatriation is a priority for the 10-country bloc. Burmese military has repeatedly denied committing atrocities against the Muslim minority, dodging accusations that include gang rapes, murder and torching whole villages.

Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, speaking on the sidelines of the Bloomberg Asean Business Summit in Bangkok, vowed to help Rohingya Muslims seeking refuge in Malaysia.

“They are refugees,” he said. “As much as we can do for them, we will.”

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