PORT KLANG: The Malaysian food flotilla mission to Myanmar will not affect bilateral ties between the two countries.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said this is because the mission is not political, but one being carried out in the spirit of humanity.
“This (aid for Rohingya) is not about politics. It would not strain our ties with Myanmar.
“It is an assistance and contribution, it is our hope. We are doing it as a concerned government, on the basis of humanitarian spirit and principles," he told a press conference after flagging off the Nautical Aliya vessel at the Boustead Cruise Centre, here today.
The ship bound for Yangon, as well as Teknaf in Bangladesh, carries 230 volunteers and over 2,000 tonnes of aid under the mission banner.
Najib was answering a question over the flotilla, on whether it might affect Kuala Lumpur’s ties with Yangon.
He said Malaysia is also trying to obtain the Myanmar government's permission for the flotilla to send aid straight to Sittwe, where the Rohingya in need of food and medical assistance are located.
Speaking on Malaysia's future plan to help the persecuted Rohingya community, Najib said the government would first monitor the flotilla mission updates before deciding further.
"We will continue our struggle in this issue," he said.
Najib, together with Pas deputy president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, had at 4pm flagged off the vessel which is expected to arrive in Yangon in four days time.
The mission, participated by volunteers and medical personnel from 13 countries, is carrying 2,200 tonnes of food items, medicine and other basic necessities.
Other countries which the volunteers hail from include the United States, United Kingdom, France, Thailand, Indonesia, Palestine and China