KOTA KINABALU, May 17 — Malaysia wants to hold discussions with Myanmar to seek the best solution to address the issue of Rohingya refugees, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.
“As Asean chairman, Malaysia will discuss the issue in depth, and hopes Myanmar can sit together to find a solution before it is brought to the international level,” he said.
Anifah said Malaysia was also using diplomatic channels with Thailand and Indonesia to work together and determine comprehensive measures to solve the crisis.
“If necessary, we will call for an emergency (Asean) meeting,” he added after meeting Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali at the 4th Joint Commission Meeting between Malaysia and Bangladesh here today.
Anifah said he would meet his Indonesian counterpart here tomorrow, adding however, while Malaysia was sensitive towards the Rohingya issue, it should not bear the burden alone.
“Now, we want to find a solution to this problem....measures that we have taken currently, include providing assistance via non-governmental organisations, and subsequently, (we will) find ways on how to help them,” he said.
However, according to Anifah, Malaysia was no longer able to sponsor them, considering that a large number of ethnic groups was already in the country and thus far, no other country wished to receive them.
On his meeting with Abul Hassan, Anifah said the two countries agreed to improve on the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the Cooperation and Recruitment of Workforce from Bangladesh signed in 2012.
The MoU is limited to the agricultural sector. — Bernama
