Malaysia
decided on Friday to carry on with a regional soccer tournament co-hosted by
Myanmar, days after a Malaysian minister said it was considering pulling out in
protest
against Myanmar's bloody crackdown on ethnic Rohingya Muslims.
The decision
came amid growing calls for Muslim-majority Malaysia to take a strong position
and as protesters held simultaneous rallies on Friday in three Southeast Asian
countries against Buddhist-majority Myanmar's actions in Rakhine state.
A withdrawal
by Malaysia from the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup, which began on
Saturday, would have run counter to the 10-member Association of Southeast
Asian Nations' long-standing policy of non-interference in other members'
affairs.
"The
cabinet decided today that we should proceed with our match tomorrow,"
Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told reporters before
attending Friday prayers.
Khairy said on
Wednesday that he had asked the cabinet at a pervious meeting about withdrawing
from the tournament, and that Malaysia "must continue to speak up"
regardless of the decision on Friday.
His comments
were in response to a call by a Malaysian Islamic cleric for Malaysia to pull
out of the tournament, which started on Saturday and is co-hosted by the
Philippines.
The conflict
in Myanmar's northwestern state of Rakhine has sent hundreds of Rohingya
Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh and poses a serious challenge to Nobel Peace
Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who swept to power last year on promises of
national reconciliation.
Escalating
violence has reportedly killed at least 86 people and displaced some 30,000.
Myanmar soldiers have also been accused of sexually assaulting dozens of women
from the persecuted minority.
The bloodshed
is the most serious since hundreds were killed in communal clashes in Rakhine
in 2012, exposing the lack of oversight of the military by Suu Kyi's
seven-month-old administration.
Protesters in
Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand were holding rallies at the Myanmar embassies
of each country on Friday seeking an end to oppression of ethnic Rohingya.
Reuters
Follow Solenzo Blog on
0 Comments