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OIC emergency meeting looks to restore Rohingya's status in Myanmar

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 (KUNA) -- The emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) Foreign Ministers on January 19 in Kuala Lumpur will discuss restoring the status of the Rohingya in Myanmar, OIC Special Envoy for Myanmar Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar said.
"Malaysia proposed the meeting because of the urgency of the matter, and not because we want to interfere in Myanmar's internal affairs. Neither do we want to confront the Myanmar government," Albar told Malaysian News Agency in statement.
The main objective was to create protection for the ethnic minority, whose rights as citizens have been denied, he added.
"This is not a communal issue as claimed by the government but rather a religious issue because they (the Myanmarese) are targeting Muslims in their conflict with the Rohingya," he said The ongoing troubles in the Rakhine state had caused thousands of Rohingya to flee Myanmar with reports of atrocities, including rape and murder. Whole villages are said to have been burned to the ground, in some cases with the residents still in their houses.
The actions of the Myanmar security forces against the Rohingya were a gross violation of human rights, he said, adding that the conflict could threaten the peace, security and economy of the region and encourage radicalism.
"We support the Myanmar government's effort to transform the country to become a much better nation under the new leadership. But the transformation must be inclusive of all sectors of its society." The former foreign minister also expressed concern over the Myanmar government's refusal to allow the Food Flotilla Mission to enter the country to distribute humanitarian aid to the Rohingya. (end) aba.ss