SEREMBAN: Malaysia has been temporarily housing almost 150,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar following continued unrest in the country, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
He said that until the military junta agrees to conduct free and fair elections throughout the country to pick a democratically elected government, the Rohingya refugees cannot be sent back.
“The Rohingya situation has worsened following a military coup in 2021 and the ensuing civil wars, which have taken the lives of millions.
“The Rohingyas are not only being targeted by the junta but also groups like the Arakan Army bent on controlling the Rakhine state, and who have committed grave abuses against the ethnic Rohingya population,” he said when met after witnessing the handing over of a hall at SK Lavender Heights by the Public Works Department.
Mohamad was asked to comment on a call by Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus for Malaysia’s help in handling the Rohingya crisis.
Muhammad had conveyed this to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during his three-day official visit here starting Aug 11.
According to the United Nations, Bangladesh had, over the past 18 months, registered the biggest influx of Rohingya refugees since the mass exodus of Myanmar’s predominantly Muslim minority nearly a decade ago.
Mohamad said he had raised the issue with the junta during his previous visits to the country.
“The junta has partially lifted the state of emergency and plans to hold elections at the end of the year, but at the same time, they have imposed martial law in 63 areas.
“So, together with my counterparts from Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, I will be visiting the country on Sept 19 to assess the latest situation in the country and see how they plan to hold the polls,” he said adding that he would also be meeting the State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC) chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
He said it was also important for Myanmar to adhere to Asean’s five-point consensus, which, among others, calls for an expanded and extended ceasefire, the need for constructive dialogue, appointment of a special envoy and humanitarian assistance.
Mohamad said he would table a report on his findings during the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits to be held in Kuala Lumpur from Oct 26 to 28.
“The fact remains that the issue cannot be resolved until the country is peaceful again and the lives of the Rohingya are no longer in danger.
“And this is only possible when every citizen is allowed to participate in an election to pick a democratically elected government,” he added.
