Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced that a delegation, including Malaysia and some of its regional partners, will be sent to Myanmar to provide humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh. Over one million Rohingya refugees are crowded in refugee camps in southern Bangladesh. Many of them fled Myanmar in 2017 when the Myanmar military severely persecuted Rohingya refugees. However, some refugees had been living in these camps even before that.
Due to the persecution and abuse of the minority Rohingya people in Myanmar, many cross the regional border shared by Myanmar and Bangladesh to seek protection in Bangladesh. UNHCR stated that in the past 18 months, more than 150,000 new Rohingya refugees have migrated to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. Anwar announced the plan to send a delegation to Myanmar to advocate for Rohingya refugees during a three-day visit by Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s transitional government, to Malaysia.
At a press conference with Yunus, Anwar said that the highest priority at the moment is to establish peace in Myanmar and provide relief to those suffering hardships. This includes refugees and those affected by a powerful earthquake that occurred recently. Anwar said that Malaysia’s Foreign Minister will coordinate the delegation’s affairs to Myanmar. The delegation is set to travel to Myanmar in the coming weeks, and will include representatives from Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, according to Anwar. Anwar, who is the chair of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), further stated that countries are concerned about Bangladesh bearing the burden of managing the affairs of thousands of Rohingya refugees.
