Malaysia, dumistansiya sa pahayag ni Cayetano

Kinastigo ng Malaysia si Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano sa pagpalabas ng pahayag sa humanitarian situation sa Rakhine State sa kanyang kapasidad bilang ASEAN chair na hindi ibinatay sa napagkasunduan ng lahat ng miyembro at “misrepresentation of the reality of the situation.”

Kayat, sinabi ni Malaysian Foreign Affairs Minister Dato’ Sri Anifah Aman na dumidistansiya ang Malaysia sa mga pahayag na inilabas ni Secretary Cayetano sa New York bilang kinatawan ng ASEAN.

Sa ASEAN Chairman’s statement, sinabi ni Cayetano na ang “Foreign Ministers of ASEAN expressed concern over the recent developments in Northern Rakhine State of Myanmar and extended their deepest condolences to all the victims and affected communities of the conflict.”

Sinabi rin ni Cayetano na ang ASEAN foreign ministers “condemned the attacks against Myanmar security forces” noong Agosto 25 at “all acts of violence which resulted in loss of civilian lives, destruction of homes and displacement of large numbers of people.”

Bilang reaksiyon sa pahayag ni Cayetano, idiniin ni Minister Aman na kinokondena ng Malaysia ang pag-atake noong nakaraang buwan sa Myanmar security forces ng Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), “the subsequent ‘clearance operations’ efforts by Myanmar authorities was disproportionate in that it has led to deaths of many innocent civilians and caused more than 400,000 Rohingyas to be displaced.”

Sinabi ni Aman na mariing hinihikayat ng Malaysian government ang Myanmar “[to] end the violence, stop the destruction to lives and properties, allow immediate unimpeded access for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Rohingyas and all affected communities, and to resolve the Rohingya refugee problem.”

Sa kanyang panig, sinabi ng Department of Foreign Affairs na iginagalang ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas ang posisyon ng Malaysia sa isyu sa Rakhine at desisyong dumistansiya sa ASEAN Chairman’s Statement na inilabas ni Cayetano upang ipahayag ang pagkabahala sa humanitarian situation sa hilagang rehiyon ng Myamar.

Gayunman sinabi ng DFA, na ang Pilipinas, bilang ASEAN Chair, ay kailangan ding igalang at isaalangalang ang mga sentimiyento ng iba pang kasapi ng 10-member regional bloc.

“Since Malaysia has different views on some issues, out of respect for its position, we decided that instead of a Foreign Ministers Statement, we would issue a Chairman’s Statement that would reflect the general sentiments of the other foreign ministers,” saad sa pahayag ng DFA.