Dr M wants Myanmar be kicked out of ASEAN
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Malaysian prime minister and still an influential figure in the country’s somewhat opaque political ecosystem, said at an international conference on human rights in Kuala Lumpur held on June 12 that “it would be better for Myanmar to be excluded from ASEAN as genocide is unacceptable,” referring to the fate of the heavily persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority in the country.
He urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the United Nations to take action against Myanmar.
“Countries like this only give a bad name to us. So, if you want to commit genocide, leave ASEAN,” he said.
According to Dr Mahathir, also simply called “Dr M”, Myanmar’s action “has clearly violated human rights and cannot be accepted.” He also urged the countries in ASEAN to put aside the policy of not interfering with other country’s internal affairs especially when it involves mass killing and genocide.
“Myanmar has not responded to requests to be more humane, instead they continue merciless killing of people, and this should not be the case,” he said.
“Although they are not capable of doing anything, we need to push for it. I even wrote a letter to Aung Sang Suu Kyi on this matter, but there has been no response, so the fate of the people there needs to be defended from the outside,” Dr Mahathir said.
“These people have been a part of the country for 800 years,” said Dr Mahathir, adding that the law prohibits countries from expelling people. He added that he had a lot of respect for Buddhism because it preached peace.
“But here, these peace-loving people are perpetrating horrible atrocities. They burn homes and kill people. They are committing something that is prohibited by their religion or any religion for that matter,” he said.
[caption id="attachment_25338" align="alignleft" width="300"] Dr Mahathir Mohamad Picture: The Malay Mail Online[/caption] Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Malaysian prime minister and still an influential figure in the country's somewhat opaque political ecosystem, said at an international conference on human rights in Kuala Lumpur held on June 12 that "it would be better for Myanmar to be excluded from ASEAN as genocide is unacceptable," referring to the fate of the heavily persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority in the country. He urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the United Nations to take action against Myanmar. "Countries like this only...
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Malaysian prime minister and still an influential figure in the country’s somewhat opaque political ecosystem, said at an international conference on human rights in Kuala Lumpur held on June 12 that “it would be better for Myanmar to be excluded from ASEAN as genocide is unacceptable,” referring to the fate of the heavily persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority in the country.
He urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as well as the United Nations to take action against Myanmar.
“Countries like this only give a bad name to us. So, if you want to commit genocide, leave ASEAN,” he said.
According to Dr Mahathir, also simply called “Dr M”, Myanmar’s action “has clearly violated human rights and cannot be accepted.” He also urged the countries in ASEAN to put aside the policy of not interfering with other country’s internal affairs especially when it involves mass killing and genocide.
“Myanmar has not responded to requests to be more humane, instead they continue merciless killing of people, and this should not be the case,” he said.
“Although they are not capable of doing anything, we need to push for it. I even wrote a letter to Aung Sang Suu Kyi on this matter, but there has been no response, so the fate of the people there needs to be defended from the outside,” Dr Mahathir said.
“These people have been a part of the country for 800 years,” said Dr Mahathir, adding that the law prohibits countries from expelling people. He added that he had a lot of respect for Buddhism because it preached peace.
“But here, these peace-loving people are perpetrating horrible atrocities. They burn homes and kill people. They are committing something that is prohibited by their religion or any religion for that matter,” he said.
