NEW YORK – The United Nations’ (UN) move to include deliberations on the suffering of Rohingya refugees as an agenda during its general assembly here has spiked hopes among the community in Malaysia that a lasting solution to their plight is finally in sight.
The anticipation among those in exile in Malaysia is especially acute this time round as Malaysia itself is involved in the sessions on the crisis.
The Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation in Malaysia (Merhrom) called on the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA) to urgently implement targeted sanctions against the military junta that has taken control over the Myanmar government following a coup in February 2021.
It said that this is vital to help end the decades-long genocide of the Rohingya people who mostly hail from the Arakan province of Myanmar, as well as to curb the atrocities perpetrated against the people of the country.
“We condemn all parties who sell arms to the Myanmar military to kill the people of Myanmar,” said Merhrom president Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani.
“We urge all UN member states to have a strong and genuine political will to implement arms embargo, economic and trade sanctions, travel bans and financial sanctions, including freezing the Myanmar military’s bank accounts, their companies and assets.”
The appeal comes as a high-level programme on the Rohingya crisis hosted by Bangladesh is being held today at the UN headquarters here, with Malaysia as a co-sponsor.
Yesterday, Malaysia was involved in a meeting of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) Contact Group on Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar, also at the UN.
Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir had during the meeting called on the OIC to strengthen collaboration with like-minded countries and bodies to find “definite solutions” to the crisis.
He said that the OIC should work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the UN to engage with the Myanmar government to resolve the “grave crisis”.
He also stressed that UN member states must strongly emphasise the importance of “safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation” of displaced Rohingya Muslims.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had lamented at the Asean Summit in Jakarta that there are now more than 200,000 refugees from Myanmar in Malaysia.
He had said that it is imperative for the “five points of consensus” brokered by Asean to be implemented, as the conflict in Myanmar affects not only its own people but also impacts neighbours like Malaysia.
Education support for Rohingya refugees
Zafar urged Anwar and Zambry to intervene strongly with Asean, OIC and the UN to alleviate the plight of the refugees and end the human rights crisis in Myanmar.
“The Malaysian government also needs to continue to advocate for oppressed people around the globe,” he stressed, listing the Palestinians, Syrians, Yemenis, Uyghurs and Afghans as among those being subjected to violent subjugation.
“Recognising the shrinking of human rights since the establishment of United Nations, it is very crucial all of us to take actions to stop conflict, war and genocide around the globe.”
The refugee group also appealed to OIC donor countries, including Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, to take in Rohingya refugees to their countries and provide education through scholarship programmes.
“As stateless refugees, education is very fundamental and significant to rebuild our broken lives,” he said.
“Without education, we can hardly achieve more than what we have now. We have to prepare and develop our young generation to strive for peace, justice and freedom after living long decades in genocide.”
He particularly emphasised that UN member states should stop business and military deals with Myanmar to manifest their political will to save the lives of Myanmar people from the “genocidal regime”.
“We urge the United Nations and Asean to be more committed to end the Rohingya genocide and persecutions of Myanmar people, and to stop Myanmar from producing refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) indefinitely.” – The Vibes, September 21, 2023
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