A Talk Presented by Dr. Syed Hamid Albar on 28 November 2016
as Visiting Fellow in Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
in Michaelmas Term 2016
Assalamualaikum and a very good morning to
everyone.
*Self-Introduction*
Let
me begin by thanking the OCIS for firstly inviting me to be a visiting fellow
of this inspiring institution of scholars and academics. In accordance with its
tradition, I am before you this afternoon to fulfil my assignment. The subject
of today’s seminar is on: ‘exploring OIC’s engagement in Myanmar’. Myanmar has
attracted both positive and negative attention. Positive: because it is a
country in transition to be democratic after being subjected for a long period
under a military junta. Negatively: it has a long history of abuses and human
rights violation against the ethnic minorities.
As
I speak now, we have a new narration of alleged atrocities in northern Rakhine
state which has attracted and drawn concern of UN and other members of the
international community. We are informed and received reports that the current
crisis has been dealt by the security forces of Myanmar disproportionate force,
tortures, rapes and killings of civilian, in Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathidaung,
including the burning of villages, homes and mosques. The action by the
security forces has been justified due to the attack of some unknown persons
that caused 9 policemen killed. Myanmar has defined this as an act of
terrorism. On the other hand, there is
an argument in reality it is a continued act or violence against Muslims in
order to create a pure Buddhist state.
Myanmar
of course has denied this and insisted that the reports and findings are wrong.
Former un chief Kofi Annan and the chairman of
independent committee “has expressed deep concern over violence in Myanmar's
Rakhine state, where the military killed 428 people which is plunging the state
into renewed instability and creating new displacement. He further added that
all communities must renounce violence and urged the security services to act
in full compliance with the rule of law”.
My
submission today is based on primary and secondary sources including the
reports of the UN Special Rapporteur since 1992,
UN High Commissioner for human rights
and human rights organizations such human rights watch, amnesty international
and other activist groups within and outside Myanmar. I have also taken into
account written and oral comments that had been received from other parties in
and outside Myanmar.
Ladies and gentlemen,
· The
Rohingya ancestries in Arakan have been traced since the 8th Century.
- · In 1799, Francis Buchanan published the first historical document mentioning the
Rohingya.
- · In 1947, the Constitution of the Union of Burma proclaimed some of Burma’s first
citizenship laws. The Rohingya voted in the 1st Constituent Assembly Elections.
- · Then in 1982, the Burma
Citizenship Law was enacted, and the Rohingya are no longer recognized as
citizens; 800,000 Rohingyas are left stateless.
UN, EU and human rights groups agree that they are
the most persecuted people in the world. It is underpinned by Myanmar and
Buddhist nationalism, radicalism and extremism condoned by the government and encouraged
by the military. It is said that the violation of human rights, denial of
humanitarian assistance, public health and education since 2012 up to date
amounts to a crime against humanity including genocide. The Internal
Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) estimates that there are up to 662,400
IDPs as a result of conflict and violence in Myanmar as of March 2015. Since
the riot of 2012 and the recent incidents
in November, the conflict have aggravated the situation further- with stories
of ethnic cleansing, rape, killings, burning of homes and villages.
Rohingya have been disenfranchised by their own
government, inhumanely treated and driven out from their ancestral homes, rejected
by their own country and turned away by neighbouring countries. May Allah help
all of us in having the compassion to commit our best efforts to bring justice
to the Rohingya community.
WHAT IS OIC
Under these circumstances, OIC, the Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation, the second largest multilateral organisation after the UN,
has gotten itself involved in order to facilitate reconciliation and dialogue
as well as provide humanitarian assistance to these displaced Rohingya
community.
The OIC is not a religious organisation. It is a
cooperative organisation with 57 member states, currently 56 and not all its
members are Muslim countries. OIC champions humanitarian causes and aid including
human rights, dedicated to the causes of humanity regardless of race, religion,
creed and colour. Among the role played and initiatives taken by the OIC in
other parts of the world, are:
- OIC established a Fund for the Return of Bosnia Refugees in Sarajevo;In response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the OIC launched an appeal and established an OIC fund for the orphan victims of the tsunami;
- The OIC has been long involved in Gaza, sending humanitarian convoys;
- It has also responded to natural disasters in Yemen, Mozambique, Algeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and to food insecurity and drought in the Sahel Region;
- One of the best known humanitarian role played by the OIC, however, is their role in coordinating, facilitating and delivering assistance in Somalia following the 2010-2011 famine, at a time when few organizations could secure access;
- The OIC also plays a facilitator and mediator role in conflict zones in Kashmir, Southern Thailand and Southern Philippines.
HOW DOES OIC FULFIL ITS CHARTER?
OIC is involved in Myanmar, a country with Buddhist
majority to seek protection for all oppressed minorities, especially the
Rohingya. The OIC is conforming a number of its Charter whilst advocating the
cause of the Rohingya, especially to:
- Reaffirm
its support for the rights of peoples as stipulated in the UN Charter and
international law;
- And it is also confirming to other related OIC
Charters such as to: Safeguard and protect the common
interests and support the legitimate causes of the Member States and coordinate
and unify the efforts of the Member States in view of the challenges faced by
the Islamic world in particular and the international community in general;
- Protect
and defend the true image of Islam, to combat defamation of Islam and encourage
dialogue among civilizations and religions;
The OIC focuses on:
1.
Violations
of international law / rights.
2.
Efforts
in protecting persecuted minorities of Rohingya Muslims.
In order to do this, the OIC uses these vehicles:
- Engagements with OIC member states and with
individual ASEAN countries as well as individual members of the United Nations
so that we can address this issue and champion the right of the minorities.
- Humanitarian intervention, so that the minorities
can be protected.
Since
the outbreak of violence in 2012, It has started its multilevel approach
through open and quiet diplomacy to address the issue and engage Myanmar
constructively to find a lasting solution. OIC believes that the on-going crisis and problems in Myanmar cannot be
ignored on the basis of sovereignty and non-interference due to the nature and
seriousness of the abuses and human rights violations.
Therefore, OIC’s objective is to provide
humanitarian assistance as well as to work together with civil society and
cooperate with other organisations to save the population of the Rohingya, and
to get back their rights as follows:
- From citizen to citizen (stateless people)
- From living in villages, to living in IDP camps
with deplorable condition, some even choose to flee from the country by sea to
find shelter in neighbouring countries.
- From being members of the parliament, participating
in politics, being able to vote, to losing their civil rights altogether.
The strongest reason that drives OIC’s involvement
in Myanmar is the gross violence including against the old, women and children
in what is called Ethnic Cleansing. The Rohingya women are raped and killed;
men and even children are violently tortured and slain.
HOW DOES OIC GET INVOLVED IN MYANMAR?
The OIC sent a ministerial delegation after the violence
that erupted in June and October 2012 causing of hundreds of deaths and
displacement of people (140,000). Until today, 120,000 individuals and family
members remain in IDP camps in central Rakhine state. The segregation become
more pronounce.
OIC had a memorandum of understanding with the Myanmar
Government in order to see the role that they could play in bringing
reconciliation. The OIC agreed to arrange to set up an office in Myanmar, but
the idea was not rejected by the government, though initially agreed.
Looking at the dynamics of
the crisis, OIC’s strategy to address the situation encompasses four areas of
activity as indicated in the table below:
Strategy
|
Task
|
Political advocacy
|
• To influence decisions within political, economic,
and social systems and institutions.
•Interaction with the Myanmar government and its
institutions
• Multilateral organizations : UN, EU and ASEAN
• Through direct engagements and preventive diplomacy
• Confidence building measures
|
Civil society engagement
|
•
Conducted through direct and indirect interactions
of civil society organizations
and citizens-at-large with government, multilateral institutions and business
establishments to influence decision making or pursue common goals.”
•
Interaction with INGO / activist groups / grassroots
organizations in Myanmar and outside Myanmar
•
Through interfaith dialogue / roundtable / seminars
|
Role of
special envoy
|
•
A Special Envoy for conflict zones is a unique tool in the
foreign policy toolbox, and one that must be better understood if it is to be
effectively applied against the range of socio-political and socio economic
challenges. Se are asked to address situations with a degree of attention
outside the capacity of the state entity / io and other regular bureaucratic
structures.
•
To deal with a set of specific issues : engaging the
political leaders / government agencies / ground assessment / advice the
secretary general.
•
To make working visit to Myanmar – structured and
non-structured meeting
|
Humanitarian
aid
|
•
To manage the aid and
action designed to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain and protect
human dignity during and in the aftermath of conflict.
•
To provide basic needs : food / medicine / clothing
•
To ensure access for international humanitarian
organization to coordinate humanitarian mission
|
At
the political level: the OIC has engaged
directly with the Myanmar authorities to bring about a restoration of the basic
rights, including citizenship, of the Rohingya and to follow up on a 2013
agreement to construct medical facilities for both Muslims and Buddhists.
Although there have been some efforts to stem the violence and enforce rule of
law, the government has been slow to respond to calls for dialogue on the
Rohingya issue. After the recent victory of the NLD government, the OIC
secretary general contacted the new leadership in Myanmar to encourage a
comprehensive resolution of the crises facing the Rohingya. This led to a
meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi during the
UNGA, in which the OIC’s concern was directly communicated to the state
counsellor and NLD leader.
The Myanmar government asked for more time to push for reforms and identified
the establishment of the Rakhine state commission headed by former UN Sec Gen Kofi
Annan as a major step forward. The OIC still urged the government to take
concrete and meaningful steps to resolve the Rohingya crises.
In
order to maintain pressure on the authorities the OIC secretary general has actively
raised the case of the Rohingya during bilateral engagements with member states
and world leaders. From 2012 to 2015 successful cooperation and coordination by
the OIC offices in Geneva and New York have resulted in the adoption of
resolutions on Myanmar in the UN.
The
OIC has effectively cooperated with the international community to raise the
Rohingya case to the UN human rights council. Participants noted and strongly
supported the United Nations general assembly resolution 69/248,
United Nations human rights council resolution A/HRC/28/l.21,
and the recent report and recommendations of the United Nations special
rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar.
Since
the 2015 election, international sanctions and political pressure was sustained
by a broad coalition of powers.
Now because of the reputation of Nobel laureate daw Aung San Suu Kyi
the European and us have agreed to give her time in her transition
towards democracy and are not strongly critical of her lack of real effort
to resolve the Rohingya issue. She has also been able to distract the
international community by engaging in peace talks and ceasefire with other armed
rebel groups such as the Shan, Karen and chin. Therefore most of the
international community has withdrawn sanctions against Myanmar.
ASEAN countries meanwhile have always been reluctant
to go public with any statements against the Myanmar government. However, those
OIC members, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei are willing
to provide humanitarian support and assistance.
With regards to humanitarian aid:
OIC member countries have been providing humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya
since the communal clash in 2012.
Among the countries are:
- Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan : $5million
in food aid;
- Qatar : $20 million;
- Saudi Arabia: $25 million; and
- Turkey: $12 million
The
Myanmar government has allowed some of this aid to be distributed on a
case-by-case basis. However, there are difficulties in access on the ground.
OIC member states like Malaysia using its own NGOs such as mercy Malaysia have
been able to penetrate into Rakhine state. Nevertheless a large portion of the
international aid money allocated to the Rohingya has yet to be disbursed.
Malaysia
and Indonesia have also taken in large numbers of Rohingya refugees and
provided for their shelter, this is in addition to the many thousands of
Rohingya and other Burmese nationals who have previously been living and
working in the country.
On the level of civil society:
the OIC has been working to bring together Rohingya organizations and
encouraging them to unify their ranks for more effective advocacy of their
cause. The successfully brought together more than 60 separate organizations to
establish the Arakan Rohingya Union (ARU) which could advocate for the Rohingya
cause in international fora.
It is imperative for OIC to have connectivity and
contact with the government of Myanmar, so in 2014, the OIC appointed me as the
Special Envoy for Myanmar.
THE ROLE OF SPECIAL ENVOY
The
function of the Special Envoy is to advance the OIC’s diplomatic efforts with
the relevant authorities and decision makers in Myanmar and other regional and
international stakeholders to bring about peaceful coexistence and restore
inter-communal harmony through dialogue and a comprehensive reconciliation
process.
The Special Envoy was
mandated to recommend policy directions and design workable plans to facilitate
activities of Track 1, 1.5 and 2 besides encourage track 3 activities.
The SE advises the OIC SG
on all matters regarding the development in Myanmar relating to Rohingya and
ensures consistent and constant connectivity with the Rohingya People and the
Myanmar government respectively.
Since my appointment as the
Special Envoy of Myanmar, I have been constantly in touch with the civil
society of Rohingya, in and outside of Myanmar. A lot of them have become diaspora
and they have established numerous organizations under the name of Rohingya to
support the cause.
The recommendations of the
SE was tabled and accepted at the OIC Summits, CFM and Contact Group Meeting of
OIC.
WHAT
ARE REASONS FOR OIC’S CONCERN:
Historical evidence shows that the Rohingya are
original residents in Rakhine and have been in Myanmar since the 8th
Century. It is with this information that OIC made its case.
- The predicament of Rohingya
has been on-going for the last five decades. The government continues to take a
heavy-handed approach in resolving longstanding tensions between ethnic groups,
a situation that has worsened with looser controls over online hate speech
spread by the Buddhist monks headed by Wirathu and religious extremists. The
Myanmar government has decided to keep the Rohingya living in apartheid-like
conditions, segregated from other communities. The government’s plan for
eventual resettlement requires a registration process under which Rohingyas are
designated as “Bengali”. But many Rohingya are refusing to be registered even
if it means they might be resettled from the squalid temporary camps where they
now live which is not their old villages and homes.
- A slow genocide and ethno-nationalism
is taking place in Myanmar. The entire Rohingya community in and outside
Myanmar are now waiting for the rest of the world to increase pressure on the
Myanmar government. The international community has to play an assertive role
to address this humanitarian crisis.
- Governments of transit,
destination countries, civil society and human rights advocates have called for
immediate action. While the humanitarian needs of the situation have been
recognized from the outset, the demand for a more holistic protection and
sensitive response are expected to be able to address the crisis effectively.
- Latest, according to John
McKissick from the UN Refugee Agency, the Armed forces have been killing
Rohingya in Rakhine state, forcing many to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. The government of Myanmar has
been conducting counter-insurgency operations since coordinated attacks on
border guards on 9th October. There is evidence of atrocities but it has been denied
by the Myanmar Government. However, they have not allowed international human
rights bodies, UN agencies and media to visit the affected areas.
Nobel
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is in a delicate position. She is Myanmar’s de facto
leader, but security is under the control of the autonomous armed forces. If
she bows to international pressure and sets up a credible investigation into
the alleged abuses in Rakhine state, there are high risks of fracturing NLD’s
relationship with the army. It could jeopardise the stability of her young government.
While there are loud calls from the UN and the international community for
action. Unfortunately, most Burmese have very little sympathy for the Rohingya.
The army’s “clearance operations" against the “violent attackers” of
Rakhine state appear to have strong popular support, putting Ms Suu Kyi herself
under very little domestic pressure to protect the affected civilian population.
This action is totally against the true value of democracy and rule of law.
A NON-INCLUSIVE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION TOWARDS
DEMOCRACY
Myanmar is said to move towards a democratic
government. However, the disenfranchisement of citizenship by the 1982 law and
the unjust censorship exercise which excluded a number of minority groups
including the Rohingyas shows that they are non-inclusive in the
transformation.
The NLD took over the reins of the government in
Myanmar after a landslide victory in November last year. The expectation for
NLD-dominated government is still running high, but Myanmar’s new rulers face a
steep task. The military maintains a strong position inside the new government,
politically and economically.
Civil wars continue to rage in ethnic minority
borderlands and the status of Rohingya and their future was not reflected
anywhere in NLD’s political manifesto, and poverty is widespread. In a
nutshell, the Myanmar’s military still considers itself as the guardian and
protector of the state and religion. Regardless of whichever role the President
and Aung San Suu Kyi chooses to play, they have to be bold to make changes to
the existing laws and constitution which denies the right of the minorities.
On a regional and international perspective, Myanmar was once considered
as a “pariah” state. Based on Malaysia’s constructive engagement initiative Myanmar
was brought to join ASEAN.
Even now, when there are international pressures to “cut of diplomatic
relations with Myanmar” due to its non-action the current violence against the
Rohingya,
I strongly believe that the discussion room must remain open and we need
diplomatic channels to resolve the conflict through positive engagements.
In this regard, it is also crucial for a
special ASEAN-level meeting to be held to obtain the report from the Myanmar
government on the violent attacks which has been regarded as ethnic cleansing
and genocide.
WHAT CAUSES THE CONFLICTS BETWEEN MUSLIMS AND BUDDHISTS
- Mistrust / Ignorance of Nature of Religion / Extremism
- Misperception
towards Islam
- Domination of
particular ethnic groups in Myanmar; Majority of the People in Northern
- Rakhine are
Muslims and the minority Buddhists living in the area are intimidated and
alienated in their own country.
- Ethno-Religion /
Nationalism / Poverty / No access to education and public health – particularly
in Rakhine
- Bias and prejudice of the main stream and
social media due to incitements of the Buddhist monks on Islam and Muslims
including the OIC.
THE CRIME COMMITTED BY THE MYANMAR GOVERNMENT:
- Abuses of
human rights (Rohingya and Muslims in Myanmar), denial of basic rights.
- Marginalization
/ exclusion / unequal treatment towards the Muslims
- Fear of
being conquered by the Muslims (geopolitically and economically)
- The
Rohingya citizenship of Myanmar had been unjustly revoked and they are
arbitrarily being categorized as Bengalis.
- The
government’s refusal to accept the Rohingyas identity as an ethnic group in
Myanmar.
- Non-action
against extremism, spreading of rumours and hate speeches by Buddhist monks and
political leaders.
- Lack of
security and protection of the minorities.
- Restriction
of freedom of movement and to self-expression of the minority groups.
- Overall,
violence, rape, torture and killings of the Rohingya community by the Buddhists
and as well as the military members and apparent genocide of the Rohingya
community.
- Denial
alone by the Myanmar Government is insufficient but they must prove the alleged
crime against humanity do not happen.
THE CHALLENGES FACED BY OIC:
- · To
undertake confidence building measures between the OIC – Union and state
Government and on the other hand with the community leaders and UN agencies and
INGOs.
- To manage
mistrust, misperception, anger and emotion in ways that is rational and legitimate.
- To ensure
the effectiveness of the mechanisms that the Union and state Government have
established such as the Human Rights Commission, the National Diversity and
Harmony Center, the Interfaith Dialogue Committee (federal level) and the Emergency
Coordinating Center (State level) and latest being the “Kofi Annan” Commission.
- To
restore the citizenship of the Rohingyas that was revoked by the 1982 decree[20].
- To ensure
peace and security throughout Myanmar can be established in a fair, just and
equitable manner.
- To ensure
to accessibility of aid agencies in bringing the humanitarian aid to the
affected areas.
CONCLUSION
According to Human Rights Watch report in 2013, the
criminal act committed against Rohingya was carried out as part of a campaign
of ethnic cleansing. Under international law, crimes against humanity are
crimes committed as part of a widespread or systemic attack on a civilian
population. The attack must be against a specific population and part of a state
or organizational policy. Non-state organization and religious bodies can be
responsible for crimes against humanity if they have a sufficient degree of
organization. “Ethnic Cleansing” though not a formal legal term, has been defined
as a purposeful policy by an ethnic or religious group to remove by violence
and terror-inspiring means of the civilian population of another ethnic or
religious group from certain geographic areas.
HRH
Dr. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said the government's approach was "counterproductive, even callous". He also said that the repeated dismissals, of the claims of human
rights violation as fabrications, coupled with the failure to allow our
independent monitors access to the worst affected areas in Northern Rakhine, is highly insulting to the
victims and an abdication of the Government’s obligations under the
international human rights law.
The U.N.
Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Ms. Yanghee Lee reported that ASSK informed her that the Myanmar government will avoid using the term “Rohingya” to describe the persecuted
Muslim minority in the country's northwest, which clearly indicates the country's attempt of avoiding discussion of the situation and denial of the reports and findings.
Therefore, in ending this discourse, I would say
that the OIC and international community have to collectively and continuously
engage Myanmar to stop violating human rights and commit crime against
humanity. This has ceased to be a racial conflict but a crime against humanity.
Efforts to address this issue should be universal in
nature as human rights issues affect each and every one of us through forced migration
and human trafficking.
Thank you very much for your time.
Jazakallahu Khairan, May Allah reward you [with]
goodness.
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SMITH: AT OPINION/EDITION.CNN.COM/2016/12/05/OPINIONS/RAKHINE-STATE-ROHINGYA-
GENOCIDE ON 6 DECEMBER 2016.
STATISTIC ON REFUGEE IN MALAYSIA:
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/12/04/dr-m-cut-diplomatic-ties-with-myanmar-to-protest-rohingya-iss.
Former UN chief Kofi Annan has expressed "deep
concern" over violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state where the military
killed dozens of people over the weekend, sending hundreds of Rohingya fleeing
to Bangladesh.
Source: AFP, 16 NOV 2016.
The present report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council
resolution 25/26 and General Assembly resolution 69/248, covers human rights
developments in Myanmar since the submission of the report of the previous
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar to the Council
in March 2014 (A/HRC/25/64) and the report of the current Special Rapporteur to
the General Assembly in October 2014 (A/69/398). In its resolution 25/26, the
Human Rights Council invited the Special Rapporteur to include in the present
report further recommendations on the needs of Myanmar, including with regard to
technical assistance and capacity-building, and information on the progress in
the electoral process and reform in the run-up to the 2015 elections. From 7 to
16 January 2015, the Special Rapporteur conducted her second mission to
Myanmar. She expresses her appreciation to the Government for its cooperation
during the visit. She held meetings with government representatives and other
stakeholders in Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw, and visited Rakhine State and northern
Shan State. She visited Insein prison where she met political prisoners. She
also held meetings in Bangkok, including with representatives of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. The Special Rapporteur also continued to engage
with the Permanent Missions of Myanmar in Geneva and New York. She sent seven
joint communications between 12 March 2014 and 15 February 2015 and, by 15
February 2015, the Government had replied to three of them.
20
June 2016 – Issuing a new report on the situation of minorities in Myanmar, the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has
urged the Government to take concrete steps to end the “systemic
discrimination” and ongoing human rights violations against minority
communities, particularly the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.The report requested by the UN Human
Rights Council in July 2015,
documents a wide range of rights violations, including arbitrary deprivation of
nationality, severe restrictions on freedom of movement, threats to life and
security, denial of rights to health and education, forced labour, sexual
violence, and limitations to political rights. It also notes that for those
formally charged, fair trial guarantees are often not respected.
9.Peter (2012), Civic engagement is the participation of
private actors in the public sphere, conducted through direct and indirect
interactions of civil society organizations and citizens-at-large with
government, multilateral institutions and business establishments to influence
decision making or pursue common goals.” —The World Bank. “Being sensitive to and understanding the
world’s problems as well as addressing them through collaboration and
commitment.” Duke University (via http://civic.duke.edu/) at
www. peterlevine.ws/?p=10357.
Amelia Branczik (2004): What Is Humanitarian Aid? Conflicts
adversely affect civilians both directly, and indirectly, through the resulting
"complex emergencies" that protracted conflicts create. In the
immediate area of conflict, the primary aim is preventing human casualties and
ensuring access to the basics for survival: water, sanitation, food, shelter,
and health care. Away from the main fighting, the priority is to assist people
who have been displaced, prevent the spread of conflict, support relief
work, and prepare for rehabilitation at http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/humanitarian-aid.
24 November 2016. Myanmar wants
ethnic cleansing of Rohingya - UN official. Myanmar is seeking the ethnic cleansing of the
Muslim Rohingya minority from its territory, a senior UN official has told the
BBC. Armed forces have been killing
Rohingya in Rakhine state, forcing many to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh,
says John McKissick of the UN refugee agency. The government of Myanmar, also
known as Burma, has been conducting counter-insurgency operations since
coordinated attacks on border guards in October. It denies reports of
atrocities.
Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Malaysia should cut ties
with Myanmar to protest the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims taking place
in its Rakhine state. "My suggestion is (for Malaysia) to break off diplomatic relations
to show our dissatisfaction with the way the Rohingya are treated at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/12/04/dr-m-cut-diplomatic-ties-with-myanmar-to-protest-rohingya-iss.
