Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday said illegal immigration had, in part, caused instability and conflicts in many countries across the world, AP reported.
Suu Kyi made the remarks in a speech welcoming European and Asian foreign ministers to Naypyitaw, the capital of Myanmar. Although she did not directly mention the exodus of the Muslim Rohingya people from the country, she said illegal immigration leads to “terrorism and violent extremism, social disharmony and even the threat of nuclear war”.
The persecution of the Rohingya community by the Myanmarese security forces is likely to be brought up during the two-day meeting. The group of ministers may also call for an independent investigation into alleged abuses carried out by the military, the Nikkei Asian Review reported.
On Sunday, the European Union’s Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc encouraged both Myanmar and Bangladesh to “work bilaterally [on] this issue with the support of the EU and with the international community”. She made the statement after visiting a refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar along with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono.
Last week, the Human Rights Watch said security forces in Myanmar had committed “widespread rape” of women and girls during the persecution and “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya Muslims since August.
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