Asean ministers pressure Myanmar for Rohingya prosecutions
They met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly because the issue is politically sensitive
Singapore — Southeast Asian foreign ministers urged Myanmar to prosecute those responsible for a brutal military crackdown against its Muslim Rohingya minority, Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan told his country’s parliament on Tuesday. Due to the political sensitivities surrounding the issue, foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, known as Asean, met unaccompanied on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday in New York, Balakrishnan said. “We expressed our grave concern about these alleged acts of violence that have led to loss of life, injuries, destruction of homes, and displacement of large numbers of people,” he said. An independent inquiry commission established by the government of Myanmar should be given a full mandate to investigate and to hold the people responsible fully accountable, the minister told parliament. An August UN report called for Myanmar’s top generals to be investigated and prosecute...
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