PUTRAJAYA – Malaysia is against any form of violence or harsh treatment against civilians, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir in responding to Myanmar military junta’s deadly air strike on a village gathering organised by what the Tatmadaw claimed were its insurgent opponents.
Expressing Malaysia’s concern, Zambry said Indonesia – as Asean chair this year – has alerted Putrajaya about the current development in Myanmar.
“We are quite concerned over this (air strike) and I suppose Indonesia will come up with a statement anytime soon.
“Malaysia’s position (is that) we are against any form of violence taking place now in Myanmar and that is the position of Asean as a whole,” he said in a press conference yesterday after hosting an iftar with Wisma Putra staff and diplomatic corps.
According to media reports, Myanmar’s military said it carried out a deadly attack on a village gathering it claimed was organised by insurgent opponents this week – and if civilians were also killed, it was because they were being forced to help the “terrorists”.
At least 100 people, including children, were killed and dozens injured in a horrific aerial attack by junta forces on civilians in Pazigyi village in Kanbalu Township in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region on Tuesday.
The junta jets dropped bombs, and attack helicopters fired machine guns on more than 100 people gathered in the village for the inauguration of a local civilian administration office on Tuesday morning.
Later the same day, the junta then launched a second round of aerial attacks on the village as people were attempting to locate and identify the dead.
Meanwhile, in conjunction with the iftar event, Zambry presented a contribution totalling RM561,996 from the Humanitarian Trust Fund for the People of Palestine to the Palestinian (AAKRP) ambassador to Malaysia Walid Abu Ali.
Out of the total, US$50,000 (RM220,625) was contributed to the Al-Aqsa Mosque through Jordan’s Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Ministry.
A sum of US$30,000 was presented to Palestine’s Education Ministry for solar system facilities in two schools in the West Bank – a joint collaboration project between the Malaysian embassy in Jordan and Palestine’s Education Ministry.
Meanwhile, US$44,179 was distributed to Global Peace Mission Malaysia for a home reconstruction project in Gaza.
The AAKRP, officially established in 2002 under Section 9 of the Financial Procedure Act 1957, is mandated to channel funds from the Malaysian public to the Palestinian people.
Thus far, more than RM20 million has been channelled to Palestinians through various projects and initiatives. – Bernama, April 13, 2023
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