Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has said Myanmar must accept Rohingyas because they are their citizens as they have lived in Myanmar for generations.
Mahathir blasted Myanmar’s treatment of Rohingya Muslims and said he was “very disappointed” with leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s failure to halt oppression of the group.
“It’s grossly unjust to do what they’ve done, killing people, mass murder, that’s not the way civilized nations behave,” Associated Press (AP) reported quoting the Malaysian Prime Minister.
During an interview on Monday with The AP, he commented on lopsided China-backed projects, treatment of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims, the South China Sea furor, a water treaty with Singapore and the country’s financial mess.
AX CHINA-BACKED PROJECTS
Days before heading to Beijing for his first visit since his stunning electoral victory three months ago, Mahathir said Malaysia does not need a Chinese-backed $20 billion East Coast Rail Link and two energy pipelines worth $2.3 billion. The projects have been suspended pending renegotiation.
“We don’t think they are viable. So, if we can, we would like to just drop the projects,” Mahathir said.
If scrapping the projects altogether is not doable, Malaysia will need to put them on hold until the future, “where perhaps the need will arise,” he added. Some of that money has already been paid and could be difficult to recoup.
STOP MILITARISING SOUTH CHINA SEA
Mahathir cautioned against further militarising the disputed South China Sea by reiterating his call for warships not to be permanently stationed there, warning it could cause an unhealthy “arms race.”
“We’re all for ships, even warships, passing through, but not stationed here,” he said. “It’s a warning to everyone. Don’t create tension unnecessarily.”
China claims much of the sea as its own and has built up several manmade islands and equipped them with runways, hangers, radar installations and missile stations to bolster its claim. It has accused the US, which routinely deploys warships and aircraft to the sea, of meddling in a purely Asian dispute. Chinese ships also patrol the sea.
STAYING OUT OF SAUDI CONFLICT
Mahathir said Malaysia wants to maintain a neutral stance and not be dragged into the Middle East conflict. His government has shut a Saudi-backed anti-terrorism centre launched last year and plans to withdraw Malaysian troops from the kingdom.
Source – AP