Kazakhstan expresses concern over Myanmar's Muslim community situation - FM
"As a member of the UN Security Council, our country actively participated and made a statement during the closed consultations on August 30. Together with other members of the UN Security Council, we called on the Myanmar authorities for active cooperation with international agencies, primarily the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and other partners aiming their efforts at resolving the situation in Myanmar. We express deep concern and dismay about the situation of the Muslim community in Myanmar," Kairat Abdrakhmanov told the journalists on the sidelines of the Parliament Chambers joint session.
"We are witnessing the negative trend of Islamophobia in Myanmar, and in this respect it is very important for us that such institutions as the OIC Contact Group on Myanmar for instance, would be actively involved in the situation resolution process and engaged in the dialogue with the authorities of this country," the minister added.
Recall that the Muslims of the Rohingya people reside in Myanmar's Rakhine and are regarded by the authorities of the country as illegal migrants from Bangladesh. Religious conflicts broke out repeatedly in Rakhine and led to clashes between the local Muslims and Buddhists. Thousands of people have been the victims of violence in recent years.
The situation plunged into crisis on August 25, when hundreds of militants of the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Army attacked 30 police centers. As we previously reported , the number of victims in the west of Myanmar has exceeded 400 people within a week.