- Title: Malaysia PM calls for stop on Rohingyas "genocide"
- Date: 4th December 2016
- Summary: KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA (DECEMBER 4, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** PEOPLE STANDING INSIDE INDOOR STADIUM DURING SOLIDARITY GATHERING FOR ROHINGYA MUSLIMS BANNER READING (English) "SOLIDARITY GATHERING FOR ROHINGYA COMMUNITY" MALAYSIA PRIME MINISTER NAJIB RAZAK (R) TALKING TO HIS DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AHMAD ZAHID HAMIDI (L) PEOPLE STANDING /LISTENING TO SPEECH LOGO ON T-SHIRT READING (English) "STOP KILLING MYANMAR MUSLIMS" VARIOUS OF ROHINGYA MUSLIM MEN PRAYING AND CRYING INSIDE OF STADIUM NAJIB STANDING AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (English) MALAYSIA PRIME MINISTER NAJIB RAZAK SAYING: "The world cannot sit by and watch genocide taking place. The world cannot just say "look, it is not our problem". It is our problem." PEOPLE SITTING AND LISTENING TO NAJIB CAMERAS FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Malaysia/English) MALAYSIA PRIME MINISTER NAJIB RAZAK SAYING: "I asked our foreign minister to seek Aung San Suu Kyi's opinion in Naypyidaw. She said if you want to see me on bilateral issues, yes. But I'm not willing to see you if you want to discuss the Rohingya issue. How can this be? We should be able to discuss everything. What is the meaning of the (ASEAN) community of nations?" PEOPLE SITTING VARIOUS OF ROHINGYA WOMEN SITTING / LISTENING PLACARD READING (English) "RESCUE THE LAST ROHINGYA IN ARAKAN" MALAYSIAN FLAGS ROHINGYA SOCIETY IN MALAYSIA PRESIDENT FAISAL ISLAM MUHAMMAD KASSIM STANDING AND TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROHINGYA SOCIETY IN MALAYSIA PRESIDENT FAISAL ISLAM MUHAMMAD KASSIM: "This Rohingya issue, you know, it's a very long time issue. That's why we want the Malaysian government also to message all the Muslim world and to the Western countries, to give pressure to Myanmar government to solve this Rohingya issue." CAMERAMEN FILMING NAJIB ACCEPTING A DECLARATION BY MALAYSIA MUSLIM NGO NAJIB CHANTING ALLAHUAKBAR (GOD IS GREAT)
- Embargoed: 19th December 2016 07:14
- Keywords: Malaysia prime minister Najib Myanmar Rohingya rally muslims
- Location: KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
- City: KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
- Country: Malaysia
- Reuters ID: LVA0015BGW37P
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Sunday (December 4) called for foreign intervention in Myanmar on humanitarian grounds, as he joined thousands of people at a solidarity gathering for Rohingya Muslims in Kuala Lumpur.
Muslim-majority Malaysia has been increasingly critical of Myanmar's handling of violence and allegations of state abuses in northern Rakhine state, which has driven hundreds of ethnic Rohingya to flee across the borders to Bangladesh.
Najib, who described the crisis as a "genocide", called on international bodies including the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to intervene.
"The world cannot sit by and watch genocide taking place. The world cannot just say "look, it is not our problem". It is our problem," he told the crowd gathered at a small stadium in the capital.
Najib's attendance at the gathering comes despite warnings from Myanmar that Malaysia risked violating the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) principle of non-interference in other members' internal affairs.
In response, Najib said ASEAN, which agreed to declare itself a single community last year, had also pledged in its charter to uphold basic human rights.
He also accused Myanmar leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi of inaction, saying that she had declared the Rohingya issue off-limits during bilateral discussions.
"I asked our foreign minister to seek Aung San Suu Kyi's opinion in Naypyidaw. She said if you want to see me on bilateral issues, yes. But I'm not willing to see you if you want to discuss the Rohingya issue. How can this be? We should be able to discuss everything. What is the meaning of the (ASEAN) community of nations?" Najib told the crowd, who booed in response.
The violence in Myanmar is the most serious bloodshed in Rakhine since communal clashes in 2012 that killed hundreds.
Persecution and poverty led thousands of Rohingya to flee Myanmar following the violence between Buddhists and Muslims there four years ago. Many of them were smuggled or trafficked to neighbouring countries, mostly to Thailand and Malaysia.
The gathering, organised by Najib's ruling United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (Pas), saw attendance of around 10,000 people, mostly ethnic Rohingya.
Najib, who has been buffeted by graft allegations he denies, vowed on Thursday (December 1) to fight to the end for Malays and Islam, as he called on UMNO to prepare for elections that are "coming soon". - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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