BARISAN Nasional Youth today demanded that the United Nations intervene and end the persecution of Rohingya in Myanmar. 

Deputy Umno Youth chief Khairul Azwan Harun said the UN, as a global agency, should get actively involved in addressing the plight of the Rohingya. 

“We also want Asean and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members to address this issue. We must continue to put pressure on the Myanmar government to stop the atrocities,” he said after handing a memorandum to the United Nations Malaysia office in Jalan Dungun. 

The document was received by UN resident coordinator Stefan Priesner, who is the representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.  

Priesner told Khairul the UN secretary-general (Antonio Guterres) is committed to putting pressure on the Myanmar government.

“We were told that the secretary-general has issued a statement asking the Myanmar government to act fast to resolve the issue. 

“The UN has also written to the president of the Security Council to look into the issue.”

The Rohinya issue is not a regional crisis but a global one and, therefore, the international communities must be involved, he said.

“We want to ensure that there is peace and security among the people in the region. The UN also needs to initiate a peacekeeping mission in Myanmar.

“We were told that the facilities in Bangladesh need to be improved so that they can receive and house more refugees. 

“We will also be sending humanitarian aid.”

Khairul said the UN should take two immediate steps with regard to the Rohingya crisis. 

“We demand that the UN hold an emergency special session and make urgent recommendations to address the plight of the Rohingya and permanently resolve the issues at its core. 

“The UN should establish a peacekeeping mission with the purpose of restoring peace and security and facilitate the flow of aid for the Rohingya.”

About 20 BN members turned up at the UN building at Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights, at 10am to show their solidarity.

Rohingya refugees are pouring into Bangladesh, fleeing a massive security sweep in Rakhine state by Myanmar forces following a series of deadly ambushes there by militants on August 25.

The UN said 164,000 refugees have so far entered Bangladesh.

The Rohingya are a mainly Muslim stateless ethnic minority, who according to rights groups, have faced decades of persecution in mainly Buddhist Myanmar. – September 8, 2017.