Asean must press Suu Kyi : Dr Mahathir

[webfact]

Asean must press Suu Kyi : Dr Mahathir

 

 

THAILAND SHOULD OFFER MORE AUTONOMY TO SOUTH TO UNDERMINE INDEPENDENCE SUPPORT, SAYS MALAYSIAN PM
 

Asean, which Thailand will chair next year, must take tough measures to put pressure on Myanmar and its de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to end atrocities against the Muslim Rohingya, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said this weekend.

 

More than 720,000 refugees have fled Myanmar’s strife-torn Rakhine state to Bangladesh since August last year, when militant attacks on security outposts prompted a heavy-handed “clearance operation” by the military (Tatmadaw) that claimed thousands of lives. Muslim residents of Rakhine faced arson, torture, gang rape and murder and many were forced to flee their homes.

 

The United Nations and United States dubbed the onslaught by the Tatmadaw “genocide”.

 

The UN called for Myanmar’s generals to face the International Criminal Court or an international tribunal on the charge.

 

“We can appeal to the government of Myanmar, but if there is no response and the atrocities continue, Asean must support international moves to stop this abuse of authority and injustice in Myanmar,” Mahathir said in an interview with The Nation over the weekend.

 

“Asean has to learn how to bring pressure on governments that are not treating their own people with fairness and justice,” he said. “If Asean just allows these people to be massacred, it doesn’t seem we are acting responsibly.”

 

While the government in Nay Pyi Taw set up and sponsored several committees to address the crisis in Rakhine, Suu Kyi was criticised for delaying action and doing little to tackle the problem at its roots.

 

Mahathir said he and other foreign leaders has urged Suu Kyi to help the Rohingya, just as other nations rallied to protect her when she was a victim of injustice under Myanmar’s former military regime from 1989-2010.

 

“Aung San Suu Kyi once fought against the military, but now she is a member of the government and is not able to have any influence over the military,” Mahathir said. “She should not associate herself with the military. They were unjust to her and now they are unjust to the Rohingya.”

 

Thousands of Rohingya have refused plans set out by Myanmar and Bangladesh to repatriate them, fearing for their safety should they return. Predominantly Buddhist Myanmar does not seem to want them back, Mahathir pointed out. Their fear of more violence is such that they would risk a dangerous journey across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia, where thousands have sought asylum in mainly Muslim Indonesia and Malaysia, he said.

 

Mahathir said Malaysia wanted to send them back to Myanmar, but they don’t want to go. “They might stay longer – they won’t become Malaysian citizens, but they will be [accepted as] refugees.”

 

Visiting Thailand since Saturday, Mahathir was yesterday conferred a prestigious Thai honorary doctorate by Rangsit University in recognition of his statesmanship.

 

He told The Nation that Malaysia’s newly appointed peace facilitator Abdul Rahim Noor, a former police chief who is familiar with problems in the southern border area with Thailand, would help to install peace in the predominantly Muslim region.

 

Violence has rocked the South since early 2004 claiming over 7,000 lives so far. Dialogue with insurgent groups, initiated in 2013, has yielded no significant results.

 

As the MARA Patani, a so-called umbrella organisation, is widely believed to not represent the insurgents on the ground, Mahathir suggests that Thailand authorises invitations for other groups to join the talks.

 

“We are aware of the fact that there is not only one group, but several groups, so if one group achieves a kind of settlement, it doesn’t mean other group will accept the result of such negotiation. Therefore, it’s important to meet as many groups as possible,” he said.

 

Abdul Rahim Noor reportedly informed the Thai authority early this month that he would introduce leaders of the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) separatist group to the talks but they were not expected to be willing to take part.

 

While the establishment of peace talks with the insurgents is an uphill task, Mahathir said the Thai authorities should try offering certain autonomy to local people in order for them to give up the struggle for independence.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30360527

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-12-17

[Prissana Pescud]

When Mahathir was PM, he constantly criticised any country for interfering or mentioning the internal politcs of another country, especially about Malaysia.

One thing about S.E. Asia is they rarely ever criticize or talk negatively about other countries. Including ASEAN talks.

His talks in Thailand include the Rohinga muslim community in Myanmar. 

His offer to Thailand is to help with the muslim insurgency in south Thailand.

The whole muslim question in SE Asia is a dogs breakfast.

But on this occasion I agree with the good doctor. The issue needs to be discussed by ASEAN.

Talk is a start, a good start. Whether Thailand will criticise its Buddhist neighbour is doubtful.

But if they can actually start to talk about religious extremism and settle the area down, all good.

 

 

[mfd101]

Yes, a certain amount of hypocrisy in all of that but, if he can stir up action - whether on Myanmar or the Thai south, good luck to him.

[Spidey]

Be careful what you wish for. Suggesting a degree of autonomy for the Southern provinces will only embolden the separatist terrorists in the South. Also, Malaysia has a hidden agenda, they have always had an eye on the Southern provinces for themselves.

 

I have 2 mosques within earshot of my house. The local Thai Muslims are completely assimilated into the local community and I have never heard a Thai say a bad word about them, on the contrary, a British friend of mine, visiting on holiday, muttered something about "bloody Moslems" in front of my wife and she nearly bit his head off.

 

However, of late, I've noticed more and more local Moslem women going for the "letterbox" look, dressed head to foot in black with only a narrow gap for their eyes. The increase in this dress, in my home town in the UK, was, coincidentally or not, concurrent with the rise in fundamentalism in the UK.

 

I just hope that the Thai Imams aren't quietly radicalising their flock and we end up with the awful situation we now have in the UK.

[Eric Loh]

As a regional senior statesmen and been around the blocks more than a few times, he know better that both his proposals will end with nothing. ASEAN do not meddle in member countries domestic affairs period. That has not change since formation and the foreseeable future. He will also not give a helpful hand for the deep south problems as it will antagonize his home Malays constituent which has been very vocal lately. But in his true style, he will always play to the gallery.  

[xerostar]

Myanmar has found the ideal solution to the problem of Islamic invasion.

Islam have infiltrated Thailand from the south. They will remain quiet and slowly find jobs with local councils as they have done in the UK.  Next comes Sharia courts as the thin end of the wedge.  More mosques are built with Saudi money.  Then they introduce blasphemy laws to prevent anyone criticizing Islam.  Their numbers increase and eventually they introduce full Sharia law.  Thai Buddhists need to be aware not to allow Islam to spread.  If not, given time it will end in disaster. And it won't be the Rohingya that are on the receiving end of genocide. Take Lebanon as an example which used to be a majority Christian country but now !00% Muslim.