CA seeks Malaysia’s support in resolving Rohingya crisis

During a joint press meet after official talks and the signing of five MoUs and exchanging three notes, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also expressed his country’s concern over the burden Bangladesh faces in hosting a large number of forcibly displaced Rohingyas.

“You (Anwar) have just mentioned Rohingya. This is a big problem for us. We are seeking help from Malaysia, particularly as chair of the ASEAN countries. So, we need all the help we can get from our good friend Malaysia,” Prof Yunus said.

Earlier in his speech, the Malaysian Prime Minister said, “On the regional issues, of course, we are concerned with the burden placed on Bangladesh on having to cater for enormous numbers of Rohingya refugees.”

The Malaysian Prime Minister said securing peace in Myanmar is a great priority for his country, along with providing immediate humanitarian assistance to the suffering refugees and victims of earthquakes.

He praised the Bangladeshi authorities for taking the initiative in multilateral forums in New York, Kolkata, and Malaysia, while the Malaysian Foreign Minister will coordinate a team with Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand to visit Myanmar in the next few weeks to ensure peace is attained and that the atrocities against some ethnic minorities and the people of Myanmar can be amicably resolved.

“So, thank you again, my dear friend, on behalf of my family and the people of Malaysia for your role and your contribution. And we wish you well,” Anwar said.

In 2017, an influx of approximately 750,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, triggered by military crackdowns in Rakhine State, crossed the border into Bangladesh.

This large-scale displacement added to the already existing Rohingya refugee population in Bangladesh, bringing the total number to over a million, reports UNB.