Malaysia has dissociated itself from the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Chairman’s statement regarding the conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine state because it is a “misrepresentation of the reality of the situation.”
In a rare turn of events, the current ASEAN Chairman and Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano broke the association’s silence on the issue when he issued a statement on Sunday at the side-lines of the ongoing UNGA (United Nations General Assembly) expressing that the ASEAN’s foreign ministers were “concerned over the recent developments in the Northern Rakhine State.”
However, Malaysian Foreign Minister, Anifah Aman shortly after, released a statement dissociating his country from the chairman’s words because it failed to reflect Malaysia’s concerns which it previously raised to the 10-member association as Cayetano's statement did not specifically mention the Rohingya as one of the affected communities.
The stark difference between the statement made by Anifah and that of Cayetano is that the former took aim at the belligerence of Myanmar’s authorities who engaged in “clearance operations” which robbed the lives of innocent civilians and caused over 400,000 Rohingya to be displaced.
Cayetano only addressed the issue broadly when he condemned “all acts of violence which resulted in loss of civilian lives, destruction of homes and displacement of large numbers of people.”
However, both statements censured the ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) for its attack on Myanmar’s security personnel on the August 25 which led to the recent spate of violence. They also urged Naypyidaw to end the violence and implement the recommendations made by the Advisory Commission of the Rakhine State which was mandated to examine and propose answers to the complex challenges facing the Rakhine state.
Reacting to Anifah’s statement, Chairperson of the APHR (ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights) and Malaysian Member of Parliament, Charles Santiago, in a media release, expressed his pride in the ongoing efforts by the Malaysian government to highlight the brutal persecution of the Rohingya by Myanmar’s military.
Santiago did not mince his words when he stated that the situation in the Rakhine state has the potential of destabilising the entire region and ASEAN member states should not rely on vague statements to cloud the reality of the humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in Myanmar.
“ASEAN cannot continue to be a mere talk shop at the face of this adversity. And member countries that opt for diplomacy are equally guilty of the crimes against humanity unleashed on the Rohingya,” he said.
Rakhine Muslims have long been subjected to selective persecution by Myanmar's government. Latest numbers released by the United Nations revealed that more than 700,000 Muslims from the Rakhine state have fled to Bangladesh and 420,000 have arrived in the past three and a half weeks.