UAE terms situation as ‘slow genocide’
The UAE has expressed grave concern over the plight of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar and reiterated support for efforts being made to alleviate the suffering of Muslims in the Southeast Asian country, while urging its government to promote harmony among Myanmar’s ethnic segments.
The UAE continues to offer assistance to the Rohingya Muslims to help improve their humanitarian conditions and defend their legitimate rights, said Dr Maitha Salem Al Shamsi, UAE Minister of State, while addressing a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
“What is happening now is a slow genocide being carried out against the Rohingya Muslim minority by racist-motivated nationalism,” the UAE minister said.
“The UAE is gravely concerned over the intolerance against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar. We will continue to extend a helping hand and humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya while supporting the efforts being made to alleviate their suffering and improve their humanitarian conditions,” she added.
The UAE has offered more than $1.7 million (Dh6.24 million) in humanitarian aid for the Rohingya, she noted.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s government lashed out at Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak yesterday, accusing him of using the Rohingya crisis unfolding in Rakhine state for his own “political interests”. The premier of Muslim-majority Malaysia has been a vocal critic of Myanmar since violence erupted in there in October, when the army started hunting attackers behind raids on police posts.
Since then at least 66,000 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh alleging a campaign of rape, torture and mass killings that Najib has called “genocide”.
On Thursday he used an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to call for an end to the “unspeakable cruelty” being unleashed against the Muslim minority.
His comments drew an angry response from Myanmar, which denies the allegations of abuse of the Rohingya, instead blaming “fake news” for spreading unfounded accusations.