Arakan News Agency
Malaysia will summon Myanmar’s ambassador over the crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in northwestern Arakan state, it said on Friday, as protesters across Southeast Asia demonstrated against the rising violence.
The conflict in Arakan has sent hundreds of Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh and poses a serious challenge to leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who swept to power last year on promises of national reconciliation.
At least 400 people are reported to have been killed in escalating violence that has displaced about 30,000 in the region’s most serious bloodshed since hundreds were killed in communal clashes in 2012.
The Malaysian foreign ministry called on all parties involved to refrain from actions that could aggravate the situation.
“Malaysia also calls on the government of Myanmar to take all the necessary actions to address the alleged ethnic cleansing in the northern Arakan State,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The ministry will summon the ambassador of Myanmar to convey the government of Malaysia’s concern over this issue,” it added, without giving a timeframe.
Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims marched in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, condemning the bloody crackdown on the persecuted minority and criticizing Nobel Peace Prize winner Suu Kyi for her inaction on the matter.
Protesters demanded humanitarian aid for Arakan, and urged that the military seize all attackers.
Source: Reuters
