Dissent surfaced again in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) after Malaysia disavowed a statement issued by the bloc’s chairman, the Philippines, as misrepresenting “the reality” of an exodus of 435,000 ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar.
The grouping of 10 nations in one of the world’s fastest growing regions has long struggled to reconcile conflicting interests in tackling issues such as China’s claims over the South China Sea and the crisis facing the Muslim Rohingya.
“The Philippines, as chair, tolerates the public manifestation of dissenting voices,” the Philippine foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.
The move showed a “new level of maturity” in pushing Asean’s principle of consensus when dealing with issues affecting national interests, it added.
Malaysia had made its position clear “in several Asean meetings” in New York, the ministry said, adding that it had to also take into account the views of other members, however.
On Sunday, Malaysia “disassociated itself” from the Asean chairman’s statement on the grounds that it misrepresented the “reality of the situation” and did not identify the Rohingya as one of the affected communities.
Myanmar objects to the term Rohingya, saying the Muslims of its western state of Rakhine state are not a distinct ethnic group, but illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Senior diplomats and foreign ministers of Asean nations discussed the contents of the statement on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York before it was published, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Malaysian government sources said.
The chairman’s statement released by the Philippines did not reflect Malaysia’s concerns, said one of the officials, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
