Joint ASEAN team to visit Myanmar to push for peace: Malaysian PM

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced that a joint ASEAN delegation, coordinated by Malaysia's foreign minister alongside counterparts from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, will visit Myanmar in the coming weeks in a bid to restore peace and address atrocities committed against ethnic minorities.

The move was disclosed during a joint press briefing with Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in Kuala Lumpur yesterday (12 August) following official talks, the signing of five memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and the exchange of three notes, reports UNB.

Professor Yunus sought Malaysia's support in tackling the Rohingya crisis, calling it a major challenge for Bangladesh. 

"You [Anwar] have just mentioned Rohingya. This is a big problem for us. We are seeking help from Malaysia, particularly as the chair of the ASEAN countries. So, we need all the help we can get from our good friend Malaysia," he said.

Anwar expressed concern over the "burden placed on Bangladesh" in hosting more than a million forcibly displaced Rohingyas. 

"On the regional issues, of course, we are concerned with the burden placed on Bangladesh of having to cater for enormous numbers of Rohingya refugees," he said.

He stressed that securing peace in Myanmar remains a top priority for Malaysia, alongside providing humanitarian aid to refugees and victims of natural disasters. 

Praising Bangladesh's diplomatic efforts in multilateral forums in New York, Kolkata, and Malaysia, Anwar added, "So, thank you again, my dear friend, on behalf of my family and the people of Malaysia, for your role and your contribution. And we wish you well."

In 2017, about 750,000 Rohingyas fled military crackdowns in Myanmar's Rakhine State and took refuge in Bangladesh, adding to an existing refugee population and pushing the total to over a million.