PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has offered humanitarian aid to help ease the suffering of Myanmar’s persecuted ethnic Rohingya.
In his speech at the Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Yangon today, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said the grouping should coordinate delivery of aid to Myanmar’s impoverished Rakhine state, where most Rohingya live.
He said Asean had sent aid to Myanmar after cyclone Nargis battered the country in 2008 and killed tens of thousands of people.
"Firstly, (we) believe the most urgent matter is (safeguarding the welfare) of the people in the affected areas. We call for unimpeded access to the affected areas," Anifah said.
Earlier, the delegates were briefed on the Rohingya crisis by Myanmar’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
On the way forward, Anifah proposed that Asean form an independent body that would assist in resolving the conflict in Rakhine.
"In order to assist us to formulate a sustainable and long-term solution to the situation in Rakhine state, I propose that (we) establish an independent group of experts, or an eminent persons group, to investigate and verify the situation there," he said.
He added that Malaysian NGOs, alongside international humanitarian bodies like the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) are also ready to assist the Myanmar government in handling the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine.
Malaysia is currently hosting at least 56,000 displaced Rohingya refugees.