PETALING JAYA, Dec 16 — Asean’s stance on the Rohingya crisis has revealed it to be adept in the areas of economy but a failure on human rights, said DAP’s Charles Santiago.
He accused the intergovernmental group of only paying lip service to democracy and human rights, but doing nothing to address the sectarian violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
“Asean really has to pull its act together. I think there is too much rhetoric and motherhood statements, but nothing has been done on the ground, with regards to respect to people, to rights, to democracy and rule of law,” he told a forum on the Rohingyas at the Art for Grabs event here.
The Klang MP took a further swipe at some Asean member states, claiming “three quarters of Asean” were led by dictators.
He also accused some Asean members of funding Myanmar’s security forces that are suspected of targeting the Rohingya minority.
“Maybe we shouldn’t expect too much of Asean,” he said.
Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) said in a report two days ago that at least 9,000 ethnic Rohingya minority died in Rakhine, between August 25 and September 24 this year.
Hundreds of thousands have also been forced to flee the violence, leading to a refugee crisis in countries neighbouring Myanmar.
Malaysia is an outspoken critic of Myanmar over the Rohingya, and previously rejected Asean’s position on the Rohingya crisis as a “misrepresentation” of the reality and for failing to identify the Rohingya as a victim of the sectarian violence.
