Arakan News Agency
Myanmar has directed the blame of a spiralling migrant crisis on its neighbours, and cast doubts on whether it will attend a meeting to be hosted by Thailand later this month aimed at easing the humanitarian emergency.
Presidential official Maj Zaw Htay told Associated Press on Saturday that Myanmar will decide whether to attend the May 29 meeting based on what is up for discussion.
He said his country “will not accept the allegations by some that Myanmar is the source of the problem.”
Maj Zaw Htay said that Myanmar “will not attend a regional meeting hosted by Thailand if “Rohingya‘ is mentioned on the invitation.” Even the name is taboo in Myanmar, which calls them “Bengalis” and insists they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even though Rohingya have lived in the majority-Buddhist country for generations.
Thailand has convened a meeting of senior officials for May 29, but the Myanmar officials’ comments show the difficulty in resolving the crisis.
Boats filled with more than 2,000 desperate and hungry refugees have arrived in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in recent weeks. Many of those on board are ethnic Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar.
Source : AP
