Malaysia–Myanmar relations

Burma–Malaysia relations

Burma

Malaysia

Burma–Malaysia relations or Malaysia–Myanmar relations are foreign relations between Burma and Malaysia. Both are the members of ASEAN and currently enjoys a good relations.[1][2] Burma currently has an embassy in Kuala Lumpur.[3]

History

The relations between the two countries were established on 1 March 1957 and the first Burma mission at the legation level was set up in Kuala Lumpur in June 1959 and later raised to the embassy level.[3]

Economic relations

In 2011-2012, the total of Burma exports to Malaysia worth over US$ 152.038 million while the imports from Malaysia during the same year worth over US$ 303.410 billion and the total trade reached US$ 455.448 billion.[3] Burma’s ten main exports items to Malaysia were rubber, fish, prawns, sesame, clothes, timber, tamarind, green gram, pigeon peas, and corn while its ten main imports items from Malaysia such as oil, raw plastics ware, petroleum and chemical products, metal construction appliances, wires, medical products, electrical and electronic machineries, mechanical appliances and crops oil.[3] Beside that, Burma is currently need more investment from others country such as Malaysia to develop the country economy.[4]

Strained of relationship

Following the Rakhine State riots since 2012, thousands of Rohingya people have been exodus from Myanmar and this sparked the Rohingya refugee crisis in 2015 to Myanmar neighbouring countries. Due to the unstoppable human exodus from Myanmar until 2016 which also have since affecting Malaysia, Prime Minister Najib Razak decide to join a rally organise by Malay Muslim groups, political parties as well non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in December to urge Myanmar to stop of what been labelled by Malaysia as a “genocide to Muslim as well to its minority people”.[5]

As a reaction, Myanmar nationalist led by activist and monk Sayadaw Pamaukkha began to protesting the Malaysian Prime Minister decision to join the rally, on which they suggesting Malaysia to “take all Rohingya people in their country and integrate into the Malaysian society if they (the Malaysians) love the Rohingya so much as we the Myanmar people don't want our race, religion and nation from disappearing due to the fast growth of Rohingya population” (with Myanmar previous junta administration labelling the Rohingya as immigrants from Bangladesh).[6][7] The group also remind Myanmar citizen in Malaysia to be careful as some extreme group and NGOs in the country have inciting hatred to Malaysians to hate Myanmar people, adding that “they would organise a similar protest in their country to condemn the Malaysian action but will not burning the Malaysian flag as been did by some of the Malaysian protesters to Myanmar flag in recent rally”.[6] Earlier before Malaysian Prime Minister join the rally, Myanmar President's Office Deputy-Director and Spokesman for Myanmar President Htin Kyaw, Zaw Htay urge Malaysia to “respecting their sovereign affairs and to stop interfering in their country affairs”.[8] The Malaysian side also cancelling two football friendly matches of their U-22 team with Myanmar U-23 as well threatening to pull out their team from the 2016 AFF Championship to protest Myanmar as a Group B host where Malaysia were also placed in the same group after persistent calls from the country Muslim individuals, groups and political parties to boycott Myanmar for their alleged persecution to the Rohingya people.[9][10]

The Malaysian government humanity sincerity are however been questioned by reporters in their own country for their sudden help as previously Malaysian authorities is seen rejecting the Rohingya to set foot on Malaysian soils while their boat is drifting in the sea after escaping from Myanmar.[11][12] The administration also been alleged as bias as they “only selecting discriminated people who are Muslims as if they are not Muslims, the government will not care them at all as been exampled from the Vietnamese boat people incident where they only been put in Bidong Island and shooed away as the Vietnamese are looked more like a Chinese and not Muslim with the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister at the time Mahathir Mohamad threatened to use force to shoot them if they continuously reaching Malaysian shore as Mahathir worried the increase of non-Muslims population in Malaysia will threatened the majority Malay and Muslim population”.[13] The Malaysian sincerity also been alleged for political ambitions to make the Rohingya as part of Malaysian citizens to use them to vote the ruling party for the next Malaysian general election as been exampled from the Moro Muslim refugees in the state of Sabah who fleeing the political uncertainty in the Philippines in the 1970s when they been registered as a citizen and used as a voter to topple the state government who are Christian at the time and to maintain the ruling Muslim party to administer the state.[14]

See also

Further reading

External links

References

  1. "Malaysia and Myanmar to enhance bilateral relations". Diplo News. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  2. "Malaysia, Myanmar to foster greater ties". New Straits Times. 28 March 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Bilateral Relations between Myanmar and Malaysia". Embassy of The Republic of The Union of Myanmar, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  4. "Myanmar wants more Malaysian investments". The Star. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  5. "Malaysia PM urges world to act against 'genocide' of Myanmar's Rohingya". Associated Press. The Guardian. 4 December 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  6. 1 2 Wai Lin Sing; Nay Myo Win (4 December 2016). "Nationalist protest condemns Malaysian PM". Eleven Myanmar. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  7. Raquel Aldana; Won Kidane; Beth Lyon; Karla McKanders (10 July 2013). Aldana, Kidane, Lyon, and McKanders' Global Issues in Immigration Law. West Academic. pp. 299–. ISBN 978-1-63459-049-5.
  8. Ye Mon (2 December 2016). "Myanmar tells Malaysia not to interfere in internal issues". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  9. Neyla Zannia (2 December 2016). "Malaysia cancels two U22 soccer matches with Myanmar in protest of its ethnic cleansing on Rohingya Muslims". The Online Citizen. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  10. Tasnim Lokman (23 November 2016). "Khairy reiterates call for AFF's boycott". New Straits Times. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
      Joseph Sipalan (23 November 2016). "Malaysia debates pulling out of soccer cup over Myanmar's Rohingya crackdown". Reuters. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
      "Malaysia may quit AFF Suzuki Cup over Rohingya issue". Reuters. Free Malaysia Today. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
      "PAS Kesal Harimau Malaysia Sertai Piala AFF 2016 Di Myanmar" (in Malay). My News Hub. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
      "Piala AFF: PKR gesa M'sia tarik diri demi Rohingya" (in Malay). Malaysiakini. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
      Balvin Kaur (23 November 2016). "Penang PAN wants Malaysian football team out of AFF Cup". New Straits Times. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
      Ahmad Shazwan Md. Yusof; Azrul Hakimie Anuer; Mohd. Nasaruddin Musa (25 November 2016). "[VIDEO] 1,000 umat Islam bantah kekejaman etnik Rohingya" (in Malay). Utusan Malaysia. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  11. Fa Abdul (2 December 2016). "What if the Rohingya weren't Muslims?". Free Malaysia Today. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  12. "Manila to accept boat people rejected by Malaysia and Indonesia, a decision backed by the Church". Asia News.it. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  13. Zakiah Koya (1 June 2015). "The 'shoo policy' of Mahathir and how he has changed". The Heat Malaysia. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  14. Romzi Ationg (28 April 2013). "Citizenship-for-votes scandal in Sabah". New Mandala. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
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