Malaysia: The Rakhine State Crisis Could Be A Threat To ASEAN Stability

Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein during a press conference. (Photo Between)

JAKARTA - Malaysian Foreign Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein said, the prolonged crisis in Rakhine State, Myanmar could be a threat to the security and stability of the ASEAN region. He emphasized that Malaysia continues to monitor the unusual movements of Rohingya asylum seekers from Rakhine State and Cox's Bazar via land and water routes.

This attitude was conveyed in Malaysia's intervention at the 53rd Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which was held virtually on Wednesday, September 9.

"The effects that continue to flow from the Rakhine State crisis continue to impact other countries in the region, and this includes Malaysia," he said, quoted by Antara, Thursday, September 10,

He gave 3 opinions regarding the efforts to handle this issue. First, for ASEAN countries to pay special attention to transnational crimes involving the smuggling and trafficking of ethnic Rohingya people, especially the coastal countries of the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca.

"This crime was made possible by the continuing crisis in Rakhine State, whose resolution point cannot be seen in the near future even after more than two years since the crisis began in 2017," he explained.

Foreign Minister Hishammuddin also highlighted the smuggling and trafficking in persons carried out through the territories of ASEAN member countries, and underlined the importance of cooperation between member countries in dealing with these problems.

"Thirdly, Malaysia supports the repatriation process which is carried out voluntarily, safely and with dignity," he said, adding that although the route of repatriation needs to be opened as soon as possible so that those who wish to return home, the repatriation process must also be credible.