Malaysia’s role pressuring Myanmar junta praised by UN human rights expert
- Tom Andrews urged Southeast Asia’s 10-member bloc Asean to follow Malaysia’s lead and move from non-interference to ‘non-indifference’
- However, Andrews also criticised Malaysia for its detention of refugees, including children, and its refusal to allow UNHCR into detention centres
The UN’s Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has called on Southeast Asia’s regional bloc Asean to follow Malaysia’s lead and re-examine its long-standing policy of non-interference.
Tom Andrews said on Thursday there is too much at stake in troubled Myanmar – taken over by a military junta during a 2021 coup – with complacency and inaction among the international community, and “more needs to be done” to avoid more death and suffering.
Andrews, a former United States congressman, said it is in Asean’s best interests to stop Myanmar’s violence as it has a direct impact on people across the region.
“The solution is not here, it is in Myanmar,” the UN envoy said during a media briefing at the end of an eight-day visit to Malaysia.
Pointing at Malaysia as the 10 member bloc’s outlier, Andrews applauded the country’s foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah for calling for a move from Asean’s long-standing policy of non-interference of a member’s domestic issues, to one of ‘non-indifference’.