BE FIRM AGAINST MYANMAR,
Global body can stop atrocities against Rohingya, says Lam Thye
FERNANDO FONG
AND TEH ATHIRA YUSOF KUALA LUMPUR news@nst.com.my
THE United Nations (UN) must act firmly on pressuring Myanmar to stop the atrocities against the Rohingya in Rakhine state, said 1Malaysia Foundation trustee Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
Calls made by countries demanding for Myanmar to stop its cruel treatment against the ethnic minority had fallen on deaf ears, but UN influence could stop the violent acts, purportedly done by the Myanmar government, which forced many Rohingya to flee to neighbouring countries, such as Bangladesh, he said.
Lee said Malaysia, being a part of Asean, should exhaust all means to persuade Myanmar to resolve the turmoil by adhering to humanitarian values.
“Malaysians must support the government’s initiative to implement the humanitarian aid mission for Rohingya to supply urgent needs and assistance to refugees along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border,” Lee said.
In Subang, Armed Forces chief General Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor said the armed forces was ready to deploy its field hospital to assist their differences and support efforts by the government to help the Rohingya, who are the victims of atrocities by the Myanmar military.”
Zahid said this during SMA AlUlum Alsyar-iyyah’s 80th anniversary celebrations here.
“(The government), through the armed forces, has sent humanitarian aid to the Rohingya, who have been denied their rights and citizenship. the Rohingya “at a moment’s notice”.
“The field hospital’s facilities include surgical theatres and others. The field hospital has beds for at least 100 people.” He said the field hospital would be manned by experienced medical officers, who had served in challenging environments in many countries.
He said this after accompanying Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who sent off a humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Raja Affandi said a team from the army would discuss with the local authorities in Dhaka on how to make the humanitarian mission more effective.
“We will assess the form of assistance
“It was recently reported that about 400 Rohingya were killed. Some were burnt to death, and others were chopped up and thrown into rivers.
“We are lucky to be living in a peaceful country, and at the same time, we must not forget the cruelty faced by the Rohingya, who are fighting for their lives.
“There are those among us who have rejected the presence of the Rohingya in Malaysia.”
UN’s Rakhine Advisory Commission, led by former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan, recently released a 63-page report to find solutions to the ethnic conflict in Rakhine.
The report said the Rohingya had become exposed to human rights abuses due to conflict, statelessness and discrimination.
The stateless Rohingya in Rakhine had been the target of attacks by the Myanmar military, forcing them to abandon their homes.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had announced that the government would send an integrated humanitarian mission led by the Defence Ministry to help the displaced Rohingya seeking shelter in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
The mission left yesterday.