KUALA LUMPUR: Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman has called on the Myanmar government to end atrocities being committed against the Rohingya community in the country, saying that such violence could lead to terrorism.
In his speech at the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (72nd UNGA) today, Anifah warned that continuous brutality would eventually result in victims turning to extremism.
“If the current situation is not addressed judiciously, the desperate people in Rakhine will become easy prey to recruitment by extremists. Prolonged frustration, anger and deprivation provide fertile breeding ground for it.
“Though the Myanmar government has given its repeated assurances to implement measures to resolve the issue, recent incidents of violence have not assuaged our concerns for effective safeguards to be put in place on the ground.
“Therefore, I call upon the government of Myanmar to end the violence and stop the destruction to life and property, and allow immediate unimpeded access for the delivery of humanitarian aid,” he said during the 72nd UNGA in New York, which runs until Sept 26.
Anifah added that over the past few weeks, there has been a recurrence of violence instigated by “a delusional and desperate militant group of Rohingya” in Rakhine.
He added that subsequent “clearance operations” by Myanmar have claimed the lives of countless innocent civilians and caused more than 400,000 Rohingya to flee their homes.
“Such atrocities have unleashed a full-scale humanitarian crisis that the world simply cannot ignore, but must be compelled to act upon,” he said.
Anifah also congratulated the Bangladesh government for its efforts in providing aid to the Rohingya, as well as in receiving almost half a million Rohingya refugees in the past three weeks.
He noted that sheltering such a huge number of refugees would certainly put a strain on any country.
“Malaysia dispatched humanitarian aid to Bangladesh on Sept 9 and will do more. In the spirit of compassion and humanity, I call on the international community to support the humanitarian efforts in Bangladesh,” he added.
In 2012, clashes with Buddhists in Rakhine caused 140,000 Rohingya to flee their homes. Thousands more have died at the hands of people smugglers and traffickers.
The unrelenting violence against the Rohingya has been the most high-profile issue for Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner whose landslide election in 2015 was celebrated internationally as a victory against oppressive military rule.
The recent violence, which began last October when a small Rohingya militant group ambushed border posts, is the worst Rakhine has witnessed in years, with the UN saying Myanmar’s army may have committed ethnic cleansing in its response.