Malaysian deputy PM criticizes Myanmar leader

A Malaysian deputy prime minister on Friday criticized Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi for inaction over the persecution of minority Muslim Rohingya in the country.

“I am sad that Aung San Suu Kyi has done little. We had hoped that she would intervene,” said Wan Azizah Wan Ismail after a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini at the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit in Brussels.

She said she has informed Mogherini that Malaysia received a large number of Rohingya refugees and was doing its best “to help” them.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).

More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, said the OIDA report, titled "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience".

Some 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police and over 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.

According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly children, and women, fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017.

The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.