LAKELAND OBSERVER
By Lakeland Staff Writer on March 31, 2019
Malaysia‘s Prime Minister Najib Razak, Myanmar‘s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Thailand‘s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Vietnam‘s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, South Korea President Moon Jae-in, Philippines‘ President Rodrigo Duterte, Singapore‘s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Brunei‘s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia‘s Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia‘s President Joko Widodo and Laos‘ Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith join hands during a family photo before the 19th Asean Republic of Korea Summit in Manila, Philippines on Monday. (Reuters photo)
MANILA: Leaders of Asian nations meeting in Manila on Monday skirted around the mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims triggered by Myanmar‘s military crackdown, disappointing human rights groups who were hoping for a tough stand on the humanitarian crisis.
There was no pressure either from US President Donald Trump over the Philippines‘ bloody war on drugs during a meeting on the sidelines of the summit with President Rodrigo Duterte.
Trump told reporters that he had a “great relationship” with Philippines leader, who, a year ago, had branded then-President Barack Obama “a son of a bitch” for questioning his ruthless campaign.
“They really hit it off,” Duterte‘s Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told reporters after the meeting with Trump.
(Video YouTube/RT)
A draft of the statement to be issued after a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders made no mention of the flight of Rohingya from military operations in Myanmar‘s Rakhine state that the United Nations has described as ethnic cleansing.
One paragraph mentioned fleetingly the importance of humanitarian relief for “affected communities” in Rakhine state.
The statement was drawn up by the Philippines, current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which includes Myanmar.
It did not use the term Rohingya for the persecuted Muslim minority, which Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked foreign leaders to avoid. The government in mostly-Buddhist Myanmar regards the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and does not recognise the term.
Over 600,000 Rohingya have fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh since military clearance operations were launched in response to attacks by Rohingya militants on Aug 25.
The plight of the Rohingya has brought outrage from around the world and there have been calls for democracy champion Suu Kyi to be stripped of the Nobel peace prize she won in 1991 because she has not condemned the military‘s actions.
Some Asean countries, particularly Muslim-majority Malaysia, have voiced strong concern over the issue recently.
However, in keeping with Asean ‘s principle of non-interference in each others‘ internal affairs, it appeared to have been put aside at the summit.
“With Myanmar having ethnically cleansed 600,000 Rohingya Muslims in just two months, it‘s time for Asean to transcend its do-nothing approach to atrocities among its members,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, in a Twitter message.
Myanmar‘s State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi attends the 19th Asean -Republic of Korea Summit in Manila, Philippines on Monday. (EPA photo)
Link : https://lakelandobserver.com/human-rights-rohingya-crisis-skirted-at-asia-summit/518452/
Malaysia‘s Prime Minister Najib Razak, Myanmar‘s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Thailand‘s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Vietnam‘s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, South Korea President Moon Jae-in, Philippines‘ President Rodrigo Duterte, Singapore‘s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Brunei‘s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia‘s Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia‘s President Joko Widodo and Laos‘ Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith join hands during a family photo before the 19th Asean Republic of Korea Summit in Manila, Philippines on Monday. (Reuters photo)
MANILA: Leaders of Asian nations meeting in Manila on Monday skirted around the mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims triggered by Myanmar‘s military crackdown, disappointing human rights groups who were hoping for a tough stand on the humanitarian crisis.
There was no pressure either from US President Donald Trump over the Philippines‘ bloody war on drugs during a meeting on the sidelines of the summit with President Rodrigo Duterte.
Trump told reporters that he had a “great relationship” with Philippines leader, who, a year ago, had branded then-President Barack Obama “a son of a bitch” for questioning his ruthless campaign.
“They really hit it off,” Duterte‘s Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told reporters after the meeting with Trump.
(Video YouTube/RT)
A draft of the statement to be issued after a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders made no mention of the flight of Rohingya from military operations in Myanmar‘s Rakhine state that the United Nations has described as ethnic cleansing.
One paragraph mentioned fleetingly the importance of humanitarian relief for “affected communities” in Rakhine state.
The statement was drawn up by the Philippines, current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which includes Myanmar.
It did not use the term Rohingya for the persecuted Muslim minority, which Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked foreign leaders to avoid. The government in mostly-Buddhist Myanmar regards the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and does not recognise the term.
Over 600,000 Rohingya have fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh since military clearance operations were launched in response to attacks by Rohingya militants on Aug 25.
The plight of the Rohingya has brought outrage from around the world and there have been calls for democracy champion Suu Kyi to be stripped of the Nobel peace prize she won in 1991 because she has not condemned the military‘s actions.
Some Asean countries, particularly Muslim-majority Malaysia, have voiced strong concern over the issue recently.
However, in keeping with Asean ‘s principle of non-interference in each others‘ internal affairs, it appeared to have been put aside at the summit.
“With Myanmar having ethnically cleansed 600,000 Rohingya Muslims in just two months, it‘s time for Asean to transcend its do-nothing approach to atrocities among its members,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, in a Twitter message.
Myanmar‘s State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi attends the 19th Asean -Republic of Korea Summit in Manila, Philippines on Monday. (EPA photo)
Link : https://lakelandobserver.com/human-rights-rohingya-crisis-skirted-at-asia-summit/518452/
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