Arakan News Agency
Thousands of Muslims, mostly Rohingya, turned up at the Titiwangsa Stadium on Sunday to protest the military crackdown in northern Arakan, Myanmar, that has killed hundreads and displaced thousands of people.
Approximately 10,000 gathered at Stadium in Kuala Lumpur to protest.
One of the demands made is to force Bangladesh to open its border in Chittagong and to provide passage to volunteers heading to Arakan to hand over food and medical supplies to the Rohingya.
Chants of Allahu Akbar also filled the air.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang have arrived to address the crowd.
Najib said the rally at a stadium Kuala Lumpur in Muslim-majority Malaysia sends a strong message to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her government that “enough is enough” as he vowed to fight for the rights of the Rohingya and it’s time for the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to step in to prevent the “genocide” of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
He said: “The world cannot stand by and watch genocide taking place.”
“What’s the use of Aung San Suu Kyi having a Nobel prize?” Najib asked a raucous crowd.
“We want to tell Aung San Suu Kyi, enough is enough… We must and we will defend Muslims and Islam,” he said as supporters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great“).
“We want the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) to act.
“Please do something. The UN do something. The world cannot sit and watch genocide taking place,” said Najib.
The plight of Rohingya in predominantly-Buddhist Myanmar has galvanized Muslims in Southeast Asia and beyond.
The Junta military crackdown in northern Arakan, Myanmar, has reportedly killed almost 400 Rohingya and displaced more than 50 thousand people who fled to Bangladesh, where they are also shunned.
Singapore’s state-owned media agency Channel News Asia (CNA) reported Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi as accusing the international community of stoking enmity between Buddhists and Muslims in Arakan.
Suu Kyi reportedly appealed for the world to understand Myanmar’s ethnic complexities, adding that the military operation was only launched after attacks on the country’s security forces that the Myanmar government has blamed on Muslims.
UK daily The Guardian reported that Myanmar’s military and government have denied claims by human rights groups and residents that soldiers had raped Rohingya women, killed civilians and burned houses during the military operation in Arakan.
Two days ago, the Myanmar government warned Malaysia to steer clear of its internal conflicts and to respect the Asean principle of non-interference in the sovereign affairs of member states.
However, in a strongly-worded statement, Wisma Putra said the spillover effect of the Rohingya humanitarian crisis would affect the safety, security and standing of Malaysia.
Most of the Rohingya in Myanmar, numbering about one million, do not have citizenship despite having lived in the country for generations, are denied access to healthcare and education, and face restrictions to movement.
Source of pictures / Malaysiakini and various
