Groups brave downpour to protest against violence in Myanmar

KUALA LUMPUR: A downpour did little to stop a large-scale gathering to protest the violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar.

The protestors, comprising of both Malaysian non-governmental organisations and the Rohingya people carried placards and chanted for the killing to stop.

"Stop the killing!  Stop the massacre! " they chanted at the Tabung Haji building after the Friday Muslim prayers.

The protest was organised by the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim).

The various representatives of the NGOs made speeches, with most urging the Malaysian government to take political action to stop the genocide.

"The Malaysian government shouldn't just be a spectator, " Mapim president Azmi Abdul Hamid told the crowd.

Ten representatives from the NGOs also sent a memorandum to the Myanmar embassy calling for an immediate end to ongoing violence.

Mapim VP Abdul Aziz Abu Bakar said that this was the first time representatives from the Myanmar Embassy actually received one of their memos. 

There were similar protests in Bangkok, Thailand and Jakarta, Indonesia.

The most recent round of violence over the past few weeks has resulted in at least 86 people being killed and the displacement of more than 30,000. Many have tried fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Myanmar troops poured into the western state of Rakhine in response to coordinated attacks on three border posts on Oct. 9 that killed nine police officers.

Human rights groups have accused the military and border guard forces of raping Rohinya women, torching houses and killing civilians although this has been denied by the Myanmar government and military.

Considered to be stateless, often subjected to arbitrary violence and forced labour in Myanmar, the Rohingya are considered by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.

As of October this year, there are 54,586 Rohingya refugees registered with the UNHCR in Malaysia, although unofficial estimates put the number three times as high.

In May last year, the issue of Rohingya trafficking made headlines worldwide when they were stranded at sea after human trafficking syndicates abandoned them following the discovery of mass graves and detention camps in Thailand and Malaysia.