Since the latest violence began last August, more than 400,000 Rohingyas were forced to flee their homes and have crossed the border into Bangladesh. (Source: nst.com.my)
Malaysia and its neighbouring ASEAN countries will bear the brunt of serious instability in the region if the grave situation in the Rakhine state in Myanmar is not addressed.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman made the statement at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group's session on the Rohingya Muslim Minority in Myanmar, held in New York on September 19.
The precarious situation provides a fertile breeding ground for recruitment of extremists, he said, adding the Islamic State is now seeking to make Southeast Asia and South Asia its nest and bedrock.
The violence in Rakhine has greatly affected the Rohingya community as well as residents of Malaysia’s neighbouring countries.
Therefore, Malaysia calls upon the Government of Myanmar to facilitate the delivery of the humanitarian aid in Rakhine, he said, noting that as a member of ASEAN, Malaysia is ready to assist the Myanmar Government in addressing the crisis.
Since the latest violence began last August, more than 400,000 Rohingyas were forced to flee their homes and have crossed the border into Bangladesh.
On September 13, the UN Security Council expressed its concern over the situation in Rakhine and called on the Myanmar authorities to take immediate steps to end the violence.
VNA
