Latest Highlight

RB Channel

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein with medical personnel outside a mock-up of the field hospital for Rohingya refugees at the Tuanku Mizan military hospital here on Sunday. (Photo: Bernama)

By Veena Babulal
November 5, 2017

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's field hospital for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will be up and running by Dec 1, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced on Sunday.

However, the location of the hospital – initially planned for an area just 10 to 15 minutes from the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp – is subject to a field check by officers of the Armed Forces and the Health Ministry on Nov 7.

"(This is) to assess the hygiene of the site," he said, adding that the first group of staff members and all cargo meant for the facility will be shipped to the Bangladeshi city of Chittagong on Nov 21 and Nov 20, respectively.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister's office, the field hospital will have 139 staffers, including specialist doctors who will work on monthly shifts. Mercy Malaysia will also be involved.

Najib said that the hospital, which will have a maximum capacity of 100 beds, will be of the same standard as local district hospitals manned by specialists. It will have separate wards for men, and women and children.

Among the hospital’s facilities will be an operating theatre where surgeries such as orthopaedic procedures can be carried out; two beds reserved for an Intensive Care Unit; X-Ray amenities; and research equipment.

The hospital’s main focus, however, will be on the healthcare of infants and children.

Najib said that the hospital, which is expected to operate for three months, will be built and owned by the armed forces; and administrated by the Health Ministry and volunteers.

"This is a joint-effort and a manifestation of the Malaysian government and its people's commitment to continuously champion and uphold the welfare and interests of Rohingya refugees who are facing tremendous pressure," the Prime Minister added.

Najib said he is confident that charitable individuals and private companies will step up to offer contributions for the running of the hospital.

"This is probably the biggest help that any country has offered the Rohingya.

“On the Rohingya issue, we are at the forefront not only on the diplomatic front… but we have also given food aid, as well as essential items such as blankets and towels.

"This is a strong Malaysian presence in the form of a field hospital," he said during a visit to a mock-up of the field hospital at the Tuanku Mizan military hospital here on Sunday.

Najib also expressed thanks to the Bangladesh government, its military and its High Commission in Kuala Lumpur for assisting Malaysia in its mission to set up the hospital.

Over 600,000 Rohingya fleeing persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine state have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh over the past two months, creating the world’s largest refugee camp.



September 21, 2017

Kuala Lumpur -- A woman from Laung Don village fled her house when Myanmar soldiers came into the village, leaving behind her sister who had just given birth and her newborn baby.

Later, upon her return to the village, she found their bodies, said Razia Sultana, a human rights activist and Chittagong-based lawyer who visited the Kutupalong Refugee Camp on December 21-24 last year and interviewed the woman along with 20 other female refugees.

The women told her that altogether 16 of their children had been killed, injured or declared missing.

Razia revealed the details in her evidence presentation on the second day of the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal held at the Law Faculty of Universiti Malaya today.

"Two of their babies were burned alive, one had his throat cut while another was thrown to the ground and is now brain damaged,” she added.

The women also reported seeing at least 70 women and girls being raped, taken away to be raped or were found after being raped.

"They told me that most rapes took place when the women were forcibly gathered outside their villages during security operations.

In Yae Khat Chaung Gwa Son village, groups of soldiers pulled young women away to be raped. Some were just 10 or 12 year olds,” she said.

In her presentation, she said the women could see the girls being raped by over 30 soldiers and men in civilian shorts.

"They were gang raped. Each girl was raped by five to six men in turn. They cut off their clothes and held a knife to their mouths so they would not shout," Razia said, recalling her interview.

The women were then forced to deny these violations by the Myanmar police and soldiers in front of the camera.

"They were rounded up in a field at a police station and guns were pointed at them. They were asked, “Who burned your houses? Was it RSO (Rohingya Solidarity Organisation)? Did RSO kill your parents and children?”

Afraid they would be shot if they said no, the women had to say it was the RSO who burned their homes and committed the killing,” she said.

According to Razia, in January, an interim report of the National Investigation Committee into the Maungdaw Attacks, led by the vice president and former army general, Myint Swe, found “insufficient evidence” of rape allegations.

"In February, the United Nations in its Special Rapporteur after a visit to the Bangladesh border found “allegation after allegation of horrific events” having taken place in the Rakhine state.

"However on March 10, the National League for Democracy-led government spokesperson in response said that the United Nations' claims of crimes against humanity in Rakhine are exaggerated,” she added.

In her presentation, Razia also called on the international community to use every means, including diplomatic and economic sanctions, to pressure the Myanmar government.

“We have to make sure to hold their security forces accountable for the recent atrocities in Maungdaw. We must also end the systematic persecution of the Rohingya,” she said.

The tribunal, taking place today until Friday, is held to hear crimes against humanity that were carried out by the government forces in Myanmar on the Rohingya and other minority ethnic groups.

The judges at the tribunal are Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, Shadi Sadr, Gill H. Boehringer, Daniel Feierstein, Helen Jarvis, Nello Rossi and Zulaiha Ismail.

The findings from the tribunal will be delivered to international bodies, especially the United Nations, for further action to be taken against Myanmar and with the aim of ending the violence at the same time.



By Embun Majid
May 22, 2017

ALOR STAR: Some 300 Rohingya gathered at Kampung Kepala Bendang near here today to pay tribute to the discovery of several mass graves in Perlis, thought to contain bodies of fellow migrants.

The group, arriving from Penang, Sungai Petani and near here, held a special prayer for the victims whose graves were uncovered at 28 human trafficking camp sites near Wang Kelian in Perlis, located not far from the Malaysia-Thai border.

The second anniversary gathering was jointly organised by Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim) and Penang Stop Human Rights Campaign.

Recalling the ordeal at one of the camps, one of the survivors, Aman Ullaj, 19, said some of his friends were tortured while others left to die at the camps.

"I am still haunted by the memories. I remembered being moved from one camp to another and those who were too weak would be left behind to die." he said.

Mapim president Azmi Abdul Hamid urged the authorities to be more vigilant in dealing with human trafficking cases.

"This is just tip of the iceberg. We believe there are more cases such as this out there." he said.







By Zaharah Othman
March 10, 2017 

THE Permanent People’s Tribunal on Myanmar’s State Crimes against Rohingya, Kachin and other groups ended after a 1½-day session yesterday urging the United Nations and Asean to take swift actions to stop the genocide against the Rohingya and atrocities against the Kachin minorities.

The opinion tribunal, organised by the Rome-based Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT), which will be holding its final session in Malaysia later in the year, also heard strong condemnations and criticisms from leaders of the minority groups living in exile in the United Kingdom levelled at Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD).

At the forefront of the first-ever tribunal on Myanmar, held at Queen Mary University, was a legal team from Malaysia, which had presented its case to a panel of judges, based on in-depth interviews with 100 refugees who had personally experienced and were eyewitnesses to events surrounding the violence committed in the country in 2012 and later.

The Malaysian Centhra legal team consisted of lawyer activists Azril Mohd Amin, Rosal Azimin Ahmad,
 Dir Kheizwan Kamaruddin, Rafna Farin Abdul Ra’far and Luqman Mazlan as well as Abdullah Abdul Hamid, a fellow of Centhra. The prosecution team was represented by Fahmi Abd Moin.

After watching and hearing the harrowing and often heartbreaking accounts of the eyewitnesses who had fled to Bangladesh and Malaysia, as well as hearing eyewitness accounts from Myanmar bloggers and expert witnesses, the panel of judges in their closing remarks said that they were convinced by the evidence presented that “the charges of serious crimes demand adjudication by the PPT”.

Dr Helen Jarvis, formerly of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, and one of three judges at the tribunal, had focused on three areas of discussion: identity framing, escalation in fighting against the Kachin, and genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya group from the Dragon King Operation in 1978, the renewed violence which escalated in 2012 and “the extreme collective punishment of the entire group since Oct 9, 2016”.

“As a result of these policies and practices, the Rohingya population in Myanmar has been halved in less than 40 years,” said Jarvis.

She added that from all the accounts provided at the tribunal, it was clear that the military was continuing and even escalating its repressive role, despite the change to a supposedly democratic and civilian government of which so many people, including the Kachin and the Rohingya, had high expectations.

“The tribunal was exposed in considerable detail to the systematic violation of human rights; killing, including slaughtering of babies and children, enforced disappearances, rape, forced labour, destruction of homes and denial of basic rights to food, livelihood, health services, education and citizenship,” she added.

Another tribunal judge, Denis Halliday, former assistant secretary of the United Nations and winner of Gandhi International Peace Award in 2003, who raised the issue of “complicity” of world powers, particularly western nations and the UN Security Council in abetting Myanmar’s crimes against the Rohingya and Kachin, said he hoped that Asean would be able to intervene and stop the horrendous situation.

He said Malaysia, which had invited Myanmar into Asean, should play an instrumental role.

“Malaysia has a special relationship (with Myanmar), you’ve got Indonesia, you’ve got this huge Muslim community in Asean, so you should be able to put pressure and encourage Myanmar to change their policy. That’s what I would hope.

“The UN has failed hopelessly because the member states of the Security Council, the ones with the power, the five veto countries, are not interested in solving the problems. They are interested in exploiting the resources, human and otherwise, of Myanmar,” said Halliday.

He added that Malaysia needed the courage to stand up and take it to the UN, Asean and the Security Council, and “make it 
so uncomfortable for Myanmar that they will decide to change their policy and accept the Rohingya”.

Burmese scholar and Tribunal expert witness Dr Maung Zarni, who was seated near Suu Kyi at an event during her visit to London in 2012, recounted his experience listening to her lecture at the London School of Economics. He accused Suu Kyi of being the guilty party in the Rohingya genocide.

“On Rohingya, Suu Kyi had asked the United States ambassador, at the time, to not use the word Rohingya, because that was, in her language, emotive, that would add fuel to the flame, despite the fact that there was a mountain of official evidence coming from the Defence Ministry that the Rohingya were once officially recognised as an ethnic community,” said Zarni.

Tun Khin, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK president, said the Rohingya, together with other ethnic communities, supported her during her 16-year house arrest. Now, she does not even recognise the existence of the Rohingya.

Speaking at the end of the session, Rosal Azimin said of the forthcoming tribunal in Kuala Lumpur: “Being one of the Asean countries, I think this would be great for Malaysia, since we are the one who’s been outspoken about the Rohingya and Kuala Lumpur will be a good place to have this judgment. This tribunal is indeed a historic event for us, and we hope to move forward and put an end to these atrocities and crimes against the Rohingya.

The Malaysian legal team has a huge task ahead as more fresh evidence needs to be collected to be presented at the final tribunal in Kuala Lumpur.

Pic: NST Online

February 17, 2017

PUTRAJAYA: The Qatar Development Fund, which will be used to help Rohingya refugees in Malaysia, will be coordinated by the National Security Council, together with other relevant ministries, agencies and non-governmental organisations.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the fund will be used for the welfare of 56,135 Rohingya refugees holding the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) card in the country.

“The fund is to implement three main aspects for the Rohingya, namely, training, education and health, which will create a positive effect in the long run.

“In terms of skills, the Home Ministry has already launched a pilot project to allow 300 Rohingya holding the UNHCR cards to work in Malaysia, starting March 1. They will be working in the plantation and manufacturing sectors for three years, while waiting to return to their country of origin or placed in a third country.

“(The teaching of) semi-skilled programmes; education of Rohingya children; and the (offering of) health insurance schemes will be carried out by the Human Resources Ministry, the Education Ministry and the Health Ministry,” he said in a statement after chairing the High Level Committee Meeting on Rohingya Management in Malaysia today.

Malaysia’s efforts in championing the rights and welfare of Rohingya refugees received support from the Qatar government during Zahid’s official visit to the country from Feb 4 to 7.

During the visit, Qatar announced that it will provide financial aid for programmes to help Rohingya refugees in Malaysia through the Qatar Development Fund.

Rohingya refugees in Teknaf, Bangladesh. The United Nations has released a report detailing ‘devastating cruelty’ against the Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, saying such acts are ‘likely commission of crimes against humanity’. PIC By SADDAM YUSOFF

By A. Jalil Hamid
February 5, 2017

THE Rohingya have been described as people struck by tragedy. They have been persecuted for decades by Myanmar, a country they call home.

But they are unloved abroad and suffer from the geopolitics of powerful neighbours India and China, and overshadowed by the refugee crisis in Europe. In short, they have nowhere to go.

And to underline their worsening plight, the United Nations has just issued a damning report detailing an unprecedented “devastating cruelty” against the Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

In the report, the UN says human rights violations against the Rohingya by Myanmar’s security forces indicate “very likely commission of crimes against humanity”.

Rohingya children had been subjected to “devastating cruelty” during a military campaign against Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya minority since Oct 9.

Babies and children have been slaughtered with knives during so-called “area clearance operations” by Myanmar troops, who are reported to have killed hundreds of people over the last four months in the Rakhine State.

An 8 month old, a 5 year old and a 6 year old were all reportedly stabbed to death in their own homes, according to a series of accounts in a disturbing report from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The UN has described the chilling accounts, based on interviews with more than 200 Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence at home, as “revolting”.

One mother recalled how her 5-year-old daughter was trying to protect her from rape when a man “took out a long knife and killed her by slitting her throat”.

In another case, an 8-month-old baby was reportedly killed while his mother was gang-raped by five security officers.

A 14-year-old girl also told of how, after being raped by soldiers, she saw her mother beaten to death and her two sisters, aged 8 and 10, killed with knives.

In another case, recounted by a number of refugees in separate interviews, the army locked an entire family, including elderly and disabled people, inside a house and set it on fire, killing them all.

More than half the 101 women interviewed said they had been victims of rape and other forms of sexual violence.

Linnea Arvidsson, one of the four UN workers who interviewed Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and drew up the report, told UK’s The Independent she had never encountered such a “shocking” situation.

The Myanmar government has repeatedly denied allegations of persecution against the Rohingya minority, rejecting any evidence as “propaganda” and arguing that police beatings were ordinary in many countries.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who has rallied strongly for the Rohingya and on Friday flagged off a food flotilla to Myanmar, had called for Myanmar to stop the “genocide” against its Muslim minority.

The flotilla saw members of Umno and Pas and Muslim non-governmental organisations on board a ship on a humanitarian mission to deliver 2,200 tonnes of food, medicine and basic necessities. 

“We want to tell Aung San Suu Kyi, enough is enough... We must and we will defend Muslims and Islam,” he told a rally in December. “The world cannot sit and watch genocide taking place.”

His use of the term “genocide” has drawn a sharp rebuke from Myanmar, which had threatened to halt sending workers to Malaysia as bilateral relations sour.

Myanmar officials had denied the allegations of abuse and Suu Kyi has told the international community to stop stoking the “fires of resentment”.

But the UN human rights report has proven otherwise.

“The gravity and scale of these allegations beg the robust reaction of the international community,” said Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, whose office released the 50-page report.

“The devastating cruelty to which these Rohingya children have been subjected is unbearable — what kind of hatred could make a man stab a baby crying out for his mother’s milk?

“And for the mother to witness this murder while she is being gang-raped by the very security forces who should be protecting her,” he said.

“What kind of ‘clearance operation’ is this? What national security goals could possibly be served by this?”

The UN report said that security forces’ members sometimes beat, raped or killed people in front of their relatives with the intention of “humiliating and instilling fear”.

“They beat and killed my husband with a knife,” a 25-year-old woman told investigators, describing how five soldiers then raped her and killed her 8-month-old son, who was crying. “To silence him, they killed him, too, with a knife.”

Al-Hussein said Myanmar government must immediately halt grave human rights violations against its own people.

“The killing of people as they prayed, fished to feed their families or slept in their homes, the brutal beating of children as young as 2 and an elderly woman aged 80 — the perpetrators of these violations, and those who ordered them, must be held accountable.”

Will Myanmar take heed of the UN findings? It is unlikely unless there is stronger international pressure on the Myanmar government.

But in Myanmar, the military remains a powerful bloc. A top lawyer, who had devised a plan to replace Myanmar’s constitution with one that would strip the military of its extraordinary political powers, was assassinated last week.

The killing of U Ko Ni, a top adviser for the ruling National League for Democracy party, also showed that the rule of law in Myanmar remains fragile. It has also fuelled distrust and concerns about the country’s future.

The Association of NextGen Christians of Malaysia (ANCOM) joined the coalition of humanitarian NGOs led by the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim) and Kelab Putera 1Malaysia to support the mission to deliver humanitarian aid to the Rohingyas in Myanmar via a food flotilla. Photo: Zunnur Al Shafiq

By Veena Babulal
February 5, 2017

KUALA LUMPUR: The Association of NextGen Christians of Malaysia (ANCOM) joined the coalition of humanitarian NGOs led by the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim) and Kelab Putera 1Malaysia to support the mission to deliver humanitarian aid to the Rohingyas in Myanmar via a food flotilla.

ANCOM advisor Jason Leong said the group felt deeply the pain and suffering of the Rohingyas in Myanmar and wanted to do their part to help.

“We stand with those who suffer in our words, prayers and deeds,” he said in a statement on Friday.

“As such, we urge more Christians to speak up and stand in solidarity with Muslims with regard to the Rohingya situation because this issue now is much larger than a Myanmar-only problem; it affects every single one of us globally as humans because it is a humanitarian crisis,” he said while referring to the atrocities committed against the ethnic minority in the country.

Leong had earlier handed a cheque of RM2,000 to Mapim president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid as ANCOM’s contribution to the purchase of essential items for a food flotilla to be sent to Myanmar for this purpose.

The food flotilla was flagged off at Port Klang by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on Friday.

ANCOM president Pastor Joshua Hong said that international intervention was urgently needed to assist the Myanmar’s Rohingya community.

“As a Christian NGO, we add our voice to the voices of our Muslim brothers and sisters because we know that our collective voice cannot be ignored.”

“Putting politics and legalities aside, this is a matter of basic human rights that we all share, and cannot ignore and we hope that in human spirit we are able to raise awareness of this issue globally and as a result end the needless crisis that is happening today.”

The flotilla, carrying 2,200 tonnes of food and medicines, departed Port Klang yesterday for Yangon to unload supplies for the Rohingya in Myanmar and would subsequently proceed to Teknaf, Bangladesh to drop off supplies for those living around the port.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at during his speech at the extraordinary OIC session on Rohingya situation. Pix by Luqman Hakim Zubir


Bismillahir rahmanir Rahim.
His Excellency Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi,
Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia;
His Excellency Dato’ Sri Anifah Hj. Aman,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia,
Chair of the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on the Situation of the Rohingya Muslim Minority in Myanmar;
His Excellency Dr Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen,
Secretary-General of the OIC;
Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh – and good afternoon.

1. Let me begin my expressing my deep appreciation to all of you for joining us here, in Kuala Lumpur, for this Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers.

2. The circumstances that have brought us together are tragic, but it is my hope that this gathering will help find a way to alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters, the Rohingya Muslim Minority, in Myanmar.

3. This is of one of the first major meetings being held under the auspices of the OIC since the appointment of His Excellency Dr Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen as Secretary General.

4. Your Excellency; I am delighted you have been able to join us today and am confident that, under your stewardship, this noble organisation will continue to achieve even greater heights in the cause of Islam and the Ummah.

5. Malaysia has always been amongst the staunchest of supporters of the OIC, as far back as its founding, when our first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, was elected the organisation’s first Secretary General.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

6. The humanitarian crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine State is a cause of great and immediate concern to us all. The loss of life cannot be disputed. And in Islam the Right to Life is the first and foremost basic right, as stated in Verse 32 of Surah Al Maidah: “…whoever kills a soul…it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely…”

7. Far too many people have lost their lives in Myanmar. Many have suffered appalling deaths, and those that have lived through the atrocities have witnessed or endured unspeakable cruelty. That in itself is a reason why we cannot keep silent.

8. At the same time, those of us who are based in this region have learned from history. And I believe I speak for all neighbouring countries when I say that we want to avoid a repeat of the 2015 “boat people” crisis.

9. This not only caused untold suffering to the people who were forced to flee their homes, but had the potential to impact the security and stability of the broader region.

10. In recent years, Malaysia has been on the frontline when it comes to the irregular movement of people. As it is, we are hosting around 56,000 displaced Rohingya men, women and children who have had to flee from Rakhine State.

11. The Government, and indeed the people of Malaysia are willing to shoulder the financial and social responsibility of providing shelter and basic necessities to our Rohingya brothers and sisters. It is the morally right thing to do. However, the fact that they have been forced to flee is a tragic indictment of the situation they faced at home.

12. To make matters worse, the Rohingyas have become easy targets for human trafficking networks. In many cases, they are held for weeks while smugglers extort more money from families back home. During their perilous journeys, they risk abuse by smugglers, and worse, death by drowning.

13. We fear that if the situation of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine State is not properly addressed, militant elements could infiltrate and possibly radicalise this oppressed community.

14. OIC Member States are well aware that terrorist organisations 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.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

15. Myanmar has no firmer friend than Malaysia. We supported our near neighbours when they were alone and friendless. We fought for their inclusion in ASEAN. We resisted efforts to punish and isolate them.

16. We did so because we recognised that Myanmar is too large, too important and too significant to be left out in the cold. It is part of our region and a part of our community of nations.

17. We recognised the unique characteristics that it possesses – its people, its natural resources, and of course its strategic location. Among the member states of ASEAN, it is alone in sharing land borders with both China and India.

18. Just as significantly, we recognised and continue to recognise the resilience and commitment of the Myanmar people which enabled them to shake off the chains of dictatorship in a peaceful, moderate and mature manner.

19. The political progress that they have made since then is testimony to our faith in Myanmar, its government and its people. It is a source of pride and hope for all those who believe in peace over violence, and indeed, democracy over dictatorship.

20. So, as a true and long-standing friend to Myanmar, I say this from the bottom of my heart: It is time to end this crisis.

21. How should it be resolved?

22. For a start, the killing must stop.

23. The burning of houses must stop.

24. The violation of women and girls must stop.

25. The persecution of your fellow men and women, simply on the grounds that they are Muslim, must stop.

26. The denial of basic rights to your fellow human beings must stop.

27. I say to our friends in Myanmar: Prove yourselves worthy of your great traditions and history again. Be equal to the words your father of independence, General Aung San, delivered in 1946:

28. “Nowadays, all the world over, we cannot confine the definition of a nationality to the narrow bounds of race, religion and others. Nations are extending their rights of their respective communities even to others who may not belong to them, except by their mere residence amongst them, and their determination to live and be with them…”

Ladies and gentlemen,

29. While we have been compelled to take a public position on the situation in Myanmar, I wish to make clear that there is no stronger supporter of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign countries than Malaysia.

30. Having said that, I wish to emphasise that if the domestic affairs of a country results in instability which affects other countries in the region, they cannot be expected to remain silent, or hope for the best and pray that it does not get worse.

31. Surely they should be given the latitude to express their concerns effectively and in a manner that would help address the pressing humanitarian situation. Should it not be within the rights of the affected countries to mobilise support from the international community to this end?

32. ASEAN has every right to raise this issue, and I was therefore glad that this was recognised by the Foreign Ministers meeting on the subject in Yangon last month.

33. At that meeting, our Foreign Minister, Dato’ Sri Anifah Aman, called for an independent group of eminent ASEAN persons to address the crisis, and quite correctly said that we – as ASEAN – must do so collectively.

34. The ASEAN Human Rights Declaration could not be clearer. It states that every person has an inherent right to life protected by law. A right to personal liberty and security. A right to freedom of religion. A right not to be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

35. No one could say that these rights are currently being adequately defended in Rakhine State. It is not just about the Rohingyas being Muslim. We want them to live, as Muslims are instructed to do, as a responsible minority, fully respecting the laws of the country, in a non-Muslim state.

36. But the current situation is a stain on ASEAN itself, and on the Community we declared established at the end of 2015, under Malaysia’s chairmanship.

37. We in ASEAN must live up to what the Community stands for – otherwise it would be a Community in name only, a disgrace to the visionaries who came together to found ASEAN 50 years ago.

38. We will have failed them if we do not do our utmost to avert the catastrophe that has been unfolding for the Rohingyas.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

39. In the same spirit of openness, it is important to note that there have been some positive developments and some efforts by the Government of Myanmar to tackle this issue.

40. We are encouraged by the establishment of the Ministry of Ethnic Affairs, the Central Committee for the Implementation of Peace, Stability and Development in Rakhine State, and the Rakhine State Advisory Commission.

41. However, we believe that much more can and needs to be done to resolve the problems in Rakhine State.

42. We strongly urge the Government of Myanmar to provide unimpeded access for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the affected areas. At the same time, we call on the Government of Myanmar to facilitate the safe and dignified return of refugees to their homes and communities.

43. The root causes of this problem must be addressed urgently in their entirety, with a view to finding mutually favourable, long-term and comprehensive solutions for all the parties involved.

44. We call on the Government of Myanmar to cease all discriminatory actions and attacks against the Rohingyas immediately, and for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.

45. This must happen now. Not in a few months’ time, when Kofi Annan’s committee is due to report. No people, who are being persecuted, should be expected to endure months of committee meetings before they are afforded protection.

46. The Government of Myanmar disputes the terms “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing”. But whatever the terminology, the Rohingyas CAN NOT wait.

47. Not when they and their families risk being burned alive in their own homes.

48. Not when their wives and daughters are being violated.

49. Not when their communities are being destroyed, their people left destitute and dispersed.

50. Not when the future of their young people – their education, and what should be the hopeful dawn of their adult lives – is being destroyed before their very eyes.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

51. Malaysia has consistently voiced its concern about the plight of the Rohingyas. Furthermore, we have and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance through our NGOs, as well as temporary shelter for Rohingya migrants currently in Malaysia, pending their resettlement by UNHCR or eventual return to Myanmar.

52. And our assistance in Myanmar is not only for Muslims, but for all who need it in the affected areas.

53. Presently, MERCY Malaysia has successfully established static and mobile clinics in Sittwe, Rakhine State, in collaboration with local NGOs, as part of its ongoing efforts to render healthcare services to Internally Displaced Persons in Myanmar.

54. I am also pleased to be able to announce that Malaysia will contribute a sum of 10 million ringgit to assist in humanitarian efforts and social rehabilitation projects in Rakhine State.

55. The fund will be used to build infrastructure, such as educational and medical institutions, that will contribute to development there and improve the quality of life of its people.

56. Malaysia will also continue to extend our support to human resource development through the Malaysia Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP). Currently, Myanmar is the largest recipient of the MTCP among ASEAN countries, and the capacity-building initiatives it provides are an important part of striving for a viable long-term solution.

57. I encourage and welcome any pledges of assistance from other Member States.

58. Indeed, I call on the OIC, in the name and spirit of Islamic solidarity, to recognise that it is our collective responsibility to assist our brothers and sisters in Rakhine State.

59. It is incumbent upon us to do all we can to save them from the humanitarian tragedy they are suffering; and to help provide them with a future that is safe, sustainable, and characterised by the dignity that should be the birth right of every human being.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

60. Malaysia has always subscribed to the concept of wasatiyya, or moderation, which espouses the values of mutual respect, understanding and tolerance. In line with this, we believe that any discord should be resolved peacefully, in accordance with the principles of Islamic teachings.

61. As a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, we hold on to these values dearly, as we have done throughout our journey of nationhood. We believe that wasatiyya can and should contribute to building a more peaceful, secure and equitable world.

62. Accordingly, we call on the Government of Myanmar to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue to stem the spread of discrimination and prejudice against Muslims, and members of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities across the country.

63. I hope that, through our deliberations in these halls, we will collectively be able to propose actions and measures to address the situation of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.

64. It is the duty of the OIC to keep the international community focused on the plight of the Rohingyas, and I thank you all for accepting Malaysia’s invitation to urgently discuss this today.

Ladies and Gentleman,

65. We fight for the rights of the Rohingyas, just as we continue to do so for our Palestinian brothers and sisters. The adoption of Resolution 2334, which was promoted and co-sponsored by Malaysia at the United Nations Security Council, echoed around the world.

66. Although Malaysia’s term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council has ended, Malaysia will continue to play an active role as a UN member state in efforts towards finding a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

67. We will continue to support the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people for an independent State of Palestine with the realisation of two states, Palestine and Israel, living side by side, based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.

Ladies and gentlemen,

68. Today, we have a new struggle that we must all come together to support – for the Rohingyas, and for an end to the pain, deprivation and death they have suffered for too long.

69. We cannot stand by and do nothing. We represent 57 countries and a combined population of over 1.6 billion.

70. Our charter enjoins us specifically “to assist Muslim minorities and communities outside the Member States to preserve their dignity, cultural and religious identity”.

71. We must be equal to this challenge. We must show that this organisation is truly the friend and guarantor of Muslims everywhere. We must show that while we may have our differences, the Ummah will come together in defence of our brothers and sisters in their time of need.

72. Let us hope that Allah will bless our noble endeavour – for the sake of the Rohingyas, for the sake of the Ummah, and for the sake of all humanity.

Thank you.

Originally published by New Straits Times.

Rohingya children gather at the Dar Paing camp for Muslim refugees, north of Sittwe in western Rakhine state. Asean must help in halting the violence against the Rohingya.

By Dr Paridah Abd Samad
December 14, 2016

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s strong rebuke of Myanmar and Aung San Suu Kyi that “enough is enough” was a landmark moment for Asean. For the first time in a long time, an Asean country leader condemned another Asean country. 

Najib’s reprimand implied that he is acting on a “universal duty of response”, and holding Suu Kyi to the global ideals that are seen to underwrite her status as a Nobel Peace Prize winner. His position concurs with the Asean charter that Asean must uphold human rights. He added that “this is not an intervention”, that displaces the Asean tenet of “non-interference in domestic matters”. 

Suu Kyi had been praised in the past for her support of human rights, but she is losing her shine as an international beacon of democracy as she is being increasingly condemned for refusing to speak out to condemn the current Buddhist violence against the Rohingya. 

When forced, she has commented that the military is operating according to the “rule of law”. The military and police had “engaged in collective punishment of the Rohingya minority” after the murder of nine border guards on Oct 9, which some politicians blamed on a Rohingya militant group. 

Under international pressure, Suu Kyi has formed a special committee to investigate the violence. The committee, however, is headed by an army general from the very same army that is committing the violence, undermining the committee’s credibility to conduct a just and impartial investigation. 

Buddhist monks in Myanmar, from the Nationalist Monk Association, led a protest of about 150 people in Yangon, holding banners and chanting against the Malaysian prime minister. They called attention to the Asean principle of non-interference and accused Najib of stoking religious extremism in order to score political points in Malaysia. Tension continues to escalate as Myanmar decided to stop sending workers to Malaysia. 

Therefore, Myanmar and the monks’ protest cannot justify the fate of one million “stateless” Muslim Rohingya as an “internal problem”. Especially when the consequences include transnational migration into Asean countries making such circumstances less tenable for this as just a “traditional and intrinsic state affair”. 

The current situation also provides fertile ground for the spread of radical Islam. Neighbouring Bangladesh has suffered a number of attacks linked to the Islamic State (IS), and Southeast Asia has proven a successful source of recruits. This is an Asean and international issue. 

Surin Pitsuwan, a former secretary-general of Asean and a former foreign minister of Thailand, argued that “jihadists become radicalised by the Rohingya slaughter. Being denied their basic human rights has left them stateless and suffering and prone to radicalisation”. 

Neglecting their plight would entrench the segregation of Rakhine state along ethnic and religious lines, breed conflict, and potentially radicalise them. An outflow of these desperate refugees would implicate the security concern of the entire region. 

Thus, Asean needs to respond by providing humanitarian assistance to the displaced and alleviate the suffering of the Rohingya. Liberating the Rohingya is only the first fortification against radicalisation by giving them equal opportunity and building trust. The whole of Rakhine state should be integrated into Myanmar’s ambitious development plans, and also into the Asean Economic Community. 

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, hundreds of people from the hardline Islamist group Hizbut Tahrir, marched to the Defence Ministry, and demanded that Malaysia’s army conduct a jihad against Myanmar. 

The Rohingya crisis has become a rallying cry for jihad. Some social media users in Indonesia have gone to the extent of declaring their readiness to be suicide bombers for the sake of the Rohingya. Online extremists in Indonesia have expressed a desire to mount jihad on behalf of the Rohingya, with some supporters hoping that the mujahidin will be able to smuggle themselves into Myanmar. Last weekend, Indonesian authorities arrested two militants who were allegedly planning to attack the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta. 

The Rohingya rally in Malaysia was not just thumbing our nose at our Southeast Asian neighbour. Accepting the additional influx of our Muslim brothers into Malaysia is not a viable, long-term solution to the crisis, especially when Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. Therefore, the Rohingya problem is a Malaysian problem, too. 

Putting aside maps drawn among Asean countries, the Rohingya people are, after all, part of Southeast Asia. And Asean should live up to a people-centric Asean community. 

Dr Paridah Abd Samad is a former lecturer of UiTM (Shah Alam) and IIUM (Gombak), a Fulbright scholar and Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) fellow

By Intan Baha
December 3, 2016

IPOH: Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia (Mapim) is gathering proof of Myanmar cruelty towards the Rohingya community to bring Myanmar to the International Crime Court (ICC) soonest possible. 

Its president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said this is an effort with the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) in London, to file the Rohingya case to the ICC. 

“We are gathering proof of murder, rape and genocide and will work together with the IHRC to file the case to the ICC as soon as possible. 

“We are collecting testimonies of killings; proof is being compiled and we have documents fingering the responsible party. 

“IHRC is waiting for Mapim to send reports with Rohingya representatives to fulfil the report standard,” he told a press conference after the launch of the Solidarity Rohingya Fund and 'Solidariti Rohingya dan Kepedulian Ummah' at Sultan Azlan Shah Mosque here today. 

Mapim would file the case under the crime towards humanity committed by Myanmar troops and it has not been done by any party before, Mohd Azmi added. 

He said Mapim also has agreed with several international non-governmental organisations to urge Asean, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and United Nations to pressure the Myanmar government to stop its oppression against the Rohingya. 

Meanwhile, Mohd Azmi said Mapim has warned Myanmar to stop the massacre within seven days before Mapim begins an international boycott of the country. 

“Any activity such as trade and sporting events will be boycotted if the killing are not halted. 

“Myanmar still has four days and if the killings still continue, we will launch the boycott in Kuala Lumpur and expose the atrocities to the world so that economic sanctions would be re-imposed on Myanmar,” he said.

Majlis Perundingan Pertubuhan Islam Malaysia (Mapim) is gathering proof of Myanmar cruelty towards the Rohingya community to bring Myanmar to the International Crime Court (ICC) soonest possible. Its president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid said this is an effort with the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) in London, to file the Rohingya case to the ICC. Bernama Photo
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has full confidence in the UN High Commissioner of Refugees Filippo Grandi in dealing with the Rohingya issue. Bernama photo


By Roy Goh
September 24, 2016

NEW YORK: Helping Rohingya refugees is not just about providing them with a place to stay, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Malaysia may be able to host them temporarily but Zahid said a more comprehensive plan was needed to resolve their problems and it needs the help from their home country - Myanmar, designated host country, Asean as well as the United Nations. 

Zahid said however he has full confidence in the UN High Commissioner of Refugees Filippo Grandi in dealing with the displaced Muslim minority community from Myanmar despite the many setbacks particularly in financial matters. 

Zahid and Grandi met on the sidelines in the on going 71st United Nations General Assembly on Thursday. 

“On out part together with Asean, an international conference is being mooted for all 10 member countries of the bloc to sit together and discuss to find a solution for the community,” he said. 

Zahid said the conference to be organised by the Institute of Public Security and a religious based party will also involve non governmental organisations that has dealt with the Rohingyas before. 

Among the issues to be discussed would be the reason why many designated countries were reluctant to accept them. 

“Some countries there are many of the refugees and that they were being selective, preferring only professionals, skilled or semi skilled workers. 

“This is where we can probably discuss how we could train them and improve their marketability in designated host countries,” he said. 

Zahid stressed Myanmar would also be invited so that their opinion could be included in the process of resolving the issue.

(Photo: The New York Times)

By Thomas Daniel
New Straits Times Online
April 26, 2016

It is almost a year to the climax of last year’s Rohingya refugee crisis, the aftermath of a crackdown by Thai authorities on land-smuggling routes that led to the surge of boats packed with Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees and economic migrants crossing the Andaman Sea. Many, if not all, were sailing for Malaysia.

Readers will remember the gripping headlines and even more gripping photos and videos of desperate, emaciated individuals on rickety boats, in some cases abandoned by their smugglers, begging for food, water and shelter. 

Policymakers feared being “swarmed” and Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian navies were involved in “human ping-pong pushbacks” of refugee boats. 

Individuals, non-governmental organisations and fishermen took it upon themselves to seek out boats and provide help. 

There was also criticism by international organisations of the initial reluctance of the three countries to accept refugees. 

Overall, it made for a tragic yet riveting media circus. 

The boats and media attention may have temporarily stopped, although an undetermined number of migrants still cross overland from Thailand. 

Regional governments and international organisations are working to provide for the displaced as best they can while efforts are ongoing to strengthen regional frameworks to better prepare for future displacement crises. 

Things seemed more or less settled, relatively speaking. 

Nevertheless, it is important that Malaysians — not just the policy makers, observers and scholars, but the people — take heed of the tragedy befalling Rohingyas, because it involves Malaysia. 

The following are three reasons why, as Malaysians, we should care and why the fate of the Rohingyas is important to Malaysia. 

First, they are here and have been so for some time. Rohingyas are a visible and significant part of undocumented migrants in Malaysia.

They reside in Malaysia, with larger communities in and around Kuala Lumpur, and in other states such as Penang, Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. 

Many have been here for years and generations, are well versed in Malaysian customs and the national language. 

Numbers from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) indicate there are at least 40,000 Rohingyas in Malaysia. 

An increasing number are families who fled violence in Rakhine state. 

A 2014 report indicated that nearly a quarter of Rohingyas in Malaysia are children. 

There are thousands more that the UNHCR, local aid organisations and the authorities know nothing about. 

They play a part in Malaysia’s informal economy that depends heavily on cheap labour that locals shun. Many, especially women and children, beg at traffic lights and walkways. 

Second, more are (probably) coming. For most Rohingyas fleeing for political or economic reasons, Malaysia is a destination of choice both in the short term and for long-term settlement. 

Few have taken up offers to be resettled in the West.

There are many reasons for this. They include Malaysia being a relatively close, peaceful and prosperous country, Malaysia’s dependence on cheap labour, having family and communities present and a belief that they would be welcomed as fellow Muslims and can integrate easily. 

Many of the nearly two million Rohingyas in Myanmar and Bangladesh, living in desperate conditions, are willing to risk their lives to reach Malaysia. They are not interested in heading or settling elsewhere in the region. 

Knowing this, neighbouring countries have been known to help on boats destined to Malaysia, not wanting to deal with the responsibilities and cost of detaining them. 

Third, concern for and finding a solution to the plight of Rohingyas is the right thing to do. 

The violence and displacement aren’t happening in a faraway corner of the world. This is happening in our backyard. 

Their persecution and displacement is a sensitive, sore and disconcerting point for Asean, especially as it moves forward as a Community. 

Yet, there appears to be little it can do. 

Even usage of the term Rohingya is contested in official meetings. 

As a founding nation and responsible member of Asean, Malaysians should be aware of key socio-political-economic issues impacting other Asean members, especially with such humanitarian dimensions. 

One should note that this isn’t Malaysia’s first post-independence experience with the mass arrival of undocumented migrants or refugees. 

For the past 40 years, Malaysia has become a destination for refugees to seek either temporary or permanent refuge, although it is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. 

Prior arrivals included southern Filipinos from Mindanao during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Cambodian and Vietnamese during the same period, a small number of Bosnian refugees in the early 1990s, and Indonesians from Aceh later on.

In most cases, they are eventually returned to their countries of origin, or resettled to third, mainly Western countries. 

In most cases, Malaysia, along with other countries, worked towards finding a political solution at the source of the refugee flow. 

In the case of southern Filipinos however, many have settled in Sabah. This has contributed to the complex ethnic, religious, political, social, economic and even security situation there today. 

As a nation, Malaysia is undergoing the process of nation building and managing religious-ethnic relations. 

An influx of a new ethnic group, especially in large numbers, will have significant and longstanding socio-cultural, economic, security and political implications to the future make-up of Malaysia. 

Thomas Daniel is an analyst, Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia

Migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh at a police station in Kuah, Malaysia Photo: EPA

By Syed Azahedi Syed Abdul Aziz
February 1, 2016

In May last year, Southeast Asia saw a massive flow of migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh making their way across the Andaman Sea to Malaysia.

To be sure, migrants have been making the journey across the sea for years. But the scale of last year’s exodus was unprecedented, and thought to be sparked by the closure of the overland people-smuggling routes through Thailand and into Malaysia.

A humanitarian crisis unfolded as thousands of migrants were left adrift in the sea because the people smugglers literally jumped ship to avoid an ever-tightening vice around their operations. 

Meanwhile, governments in the region, including Malaysia’s, and international agencies, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), struggled to adequately respond to a high-seas drama that had grabbed the world’s attention.

The burden of receiving these migrants fell on Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, but there was initial reluctance to take them in. Part of the problem was, who were these people? The first conclusion was that these people were asylum seekers of the persecuted Rohingya minority in Myanmar. 

But, mixed among them were economic migrants from Bangladesh. Telling them apart is difficult as they are of similar ethnic stock, and compounded by the fact that a sizeable number of Rohingyas from Myanmar are undocumented in the country of their birth because the government does not recognise them as an indigenous ethnic group. 

So, the first challenge is to screen all the migrants and to sort out their claims. It bears repeating here that there is a distinction between economic migrants and asylum seekers. Economic migrants, of which there is an abundance of in Malaysia, are people who left their homelands purely to seek more opportunities. Asylum seekers are seeking protection in another country but their status as a refugee has yet to be processed by an official body, the most prominent of which 
is UNHCR.

Myanmar claims Rohingyas are “Bengali migrants” from Bangladesh, which, in turn, denies this is so and has been reluctant to do more for this group after taking in 250,000 people in the 1970s. Consequently, both Bangladesh and Myanmar say they are affected by this problem as much as anybody else.

The crisis raises questions on the willingness and preparedness of governments in the region to respond to such crises now and in the future. 

Understandably, there were security and domestic implications that countries had to consider when a sudden surge of unskilled and undocumented people suddenly turned up in their waters.

Indonesia and Thailand are having economic problems of their own, and could barely afford the cost of housing, feeding and caring for these migrants while their claims of seeking asylum are being determined. 

Malaysia has been grappling with a migrant inflow problem for years. And, while there has been much improvement over the years, up to two to three million undocumented people are thought to be in the country. There are also about 150,000 asylum seekers registered with UNHCR in Malaysia. 

There were reports of boats being turned back while patrols in the sea stepped up to prevent the boats from entering territorial waters. Eventually, as international pressure mounted, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia relented. Malaysia and Indonesia had agreed to house 7,000 migrants with the condition that their asylum seeker status be processed within a year, while Thailand agreed not to turn away boats. 

But, be they economic migrant or asylum seeker, the response to last year’s crisis was ad hoc and struggled to achieve cohesion at the regional level. And, with more countries wracked by strife while climate change is predicted to lead to more mass displacement of people in the future, experts believe the time is more urgent than ever to put in place contingency plans for these eventualities. 

This was the focus of the Track II Dialogue on Forced Migration in the Asia-Pacific, which gathered experts and stakeholders on the matter from Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, New Zealand and Thailand, as well as international aid groups, to deliberate, in a casual and depoliticised atmosphere, on viable responses to future crises.

The dialogue will meet six times over three years, and the second meeting was held in Bangkok over the weekend, while the third is slated to be held in Kuala Lumpur later this year. 

It will behove Malaysia to engage with such expert groups, as the country’s stability and prosperity make it a tempting destination for migrants.

The capacities to manage and screen the flow of people will need to be enhanced, as whether we like it or not, the region’s destitute and poor will flock to our shores. 

Foreign labour contributes a major portion of Malaysia’s economic output, and it is common knowledge vast numbers of illegals work in jobs that Malaysians find dirty, dangerous and difficult. 

This leads to an economic imperative to ensure that foreign labour here are not victims of trafficking. There are provisions under the Trans-Pacific Partnership that require countries to ensure workers are not victims of trafficking. In fact, before the TPP agreement was finalised, Malaysia’s participation in the trade pact hung by a thread as the United States evaluated the country’s efforts to fight human trafficking. 

Malaysia has long had a tolerant attitude towards asylum seekers, despite them not having legal status. 

But, this is not enough. If Malaysia wants to be recognised as a developed country, it must contribute to humanitarian efforts. It’s not just about economic development.

Note: The writer was invited to participate in the second meeting of Track II Dialogue on Forced Migration in the Asia-Pacific, which was convened by the Centre for Policy Development, Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University; and Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia.

NST’s Foreign Editor Syed Azahedi breaks down overseas happenings


    • Rohingya Exodus