M'sia says it's responsible for Thai Muslims who flee violence
Sep 6, 05 11:29am
Malaysia said that as chair of an international Islamic grouping it has a responsibility to protect Muslims, after 131 Thai Muslims fled to the country amid violence in their homeland."Malaysia is the OIC chairman. One of the OIC's duties is to determine the guaranteed status and safety of Muslim minorities in non-Muslim countries," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told a news conference.
Malaysia is current chair of the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
"Whatever happens in southern Thailand has a direct effect on us," Syed Hamid added.
"Surely we are not going to stay silent. As a friend and as a fellow Asean(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) country, of course we will express our opinion without interfering in Thailand's internal affairs."
Thai Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Monday said the two countries were working closely to prevent the status of the Thai Muslims from boiling over into a "political issue."
Syed Hamid said Malaysia would not interfere in Thailand's internal affairs but also called on it to be "sensitive to their neighbours and their neighbours' fears."
When asked if there was any evidence that Thai insurgents were seeking support from the Malaysian side of the border to "internationalise" their struggle, Syed Hamid said: "There is no such evidence."
"In the first place we do not support insurgents from the Thai side. We have not given money, nor have we given protection to the Thai insurgents," he said pointing out that Malaysian authorities had strengthened border security.
Temporary shelter
The undocumented Thai Muslims fled into Malaysia's northeastern state of Kelantan last week, saying they had left their villages in Thailand's Narathiwat province after the army arrived. Mainly Muslim Malaysia has given temporary shelter to the Thais pending investigation of their status and reasons for leaving, but has voiced concern over the prospect of more Thais fleeing across the border.
Nearly 900 people have been killed in the past 20 months in Thailand's southernmost provinces, which are home to most Muslims living in the mainly Buddhist nation.
The violence has been blamed on a mixture of Islamic separatists, organised criminals and drug dealers.
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