Protect minorities, Suu Kyi urged

Muslim leaders want more efforts to improve humanitarian situation in Rakhine State

NEW YORK: Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) leader Iyad Amin Madani and the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have called on the Myanmar government to make more efforts to improve the rights of Muslim minorities.

The OIC has called on the Myanmar government to make more efforts to improve the rights of Muslim minorities in the country as well as humanitarian situation in the Rakhine State where the majority of the Muslim people and refugees live.

Iyad, the OIC secretarygeneral, held an unprecedented meeting with Myanmar State Counsellor and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, according to the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Both discussed the ongoing democratic reforms in Myanmar and the ethnic conflicts.

Madnani reportedly said he appreciated the government’s efforts but expressed the OIC’s demand for the protection of fundamental human rights, including the need for RohingyaMuslims to be made citizens.

Madani urged Suu Kyi to make more effort to improve the humanitarian situation in Rakhine State.

Separately, Suu Kyi also met Professor Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the World Economic Forum; Georges Soros, founder of the Open Society Foundation; and Zeid Ra’ad Alhussein, UN high commissioner for human rights.

The state counsellor left Washington DC for New York by train on Sept 17 to attend the 71st UN General Assembly.

On Sept 19, she met Irina Bokova, director general of the UN’s cultural agency Unesco; Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen; Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina said Bangladesh looked forward to working with Myanmar to find lasting solution to the nextdoor neighbour’s refugee issue. “We look forward to working with the new Myanmar leadership to find lasting solution to this issue... I’m already in touch with Aung San Suu Kyi,” she said while addressing a world leaders’ summit on refugee issue held under the auspices of US President Barack.

For nearly three decades, she said, Bangladesh has been hosting a large number of refugees and displaced persons from Myanmar.