Myanmar blames 'false news' for tension
Published on: Wednesday, December 07, 2016
Kuala Lumpur: Myanmar's highest ranking officials met with Malaysia Chief of Defence Forces General Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin at the Myanmar's capital to smoothen diplomatic ties.The Myanmar Times reported that Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw and commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing had met with Malaysia's military chief and assured him that the Rohingya community's rights were not being violated.President U, who had also met with Zulkifeli to discuss the ongoing military operations in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships said that "false news" had contributed to the current diplomatic tension.
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"It said that the Myanmar government is working to resolve the issues in Rakhine State in accordance with existing laws and human rights standards," it reportedly said from statement from the president's office.The report also said that General Min had said in a statement that he also told his Malaysian counterpart that Myanmar authorities could not lie about the non-existence of human rights violations given the local and international media focus on the state.Malaysia's army chief met with the two officials in Nay Pyi Taw separately yesterday in an effort to repair strained relations between the two Asean countries following a recent diplomatic spat over violence in Rakhine State.Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had recently been vocal against the persecution of the Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar and along with other Umno members, joined a rally on December 4 protesting Myanmar's treatment of the Muslim minority in the state.
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An estimated 56,000 Rohingya have fled to Malaysia as refugees and many are living in poverty without status or jobs.International human rights agencies have noted the Rohingya have been subjected to killings, selective treatment by Myanmar causing hundreds of thousands to be displaced from their northern Rakhine home state which borders Bangladesh.
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However, Myanmar has accused Malaysia of meddling in its internal affairs.A group of Muslim civil societies in Myanmar had released an open letter to the Malaysian government expressing their disapproval of the country's response, stating that is doing more harm than good for Muslim people in Myanmar.The letter was delivered to the Malaysian Embassy yesterday, said that group did not agree with the Malaysian PM's characterisation of the Rakhine issue and "ill- informed initiatives" such as rallies and protests were worsening ties between the nations, threatening the stability of the ASEAN community and aggravating the situation in Rakhine State.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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