MAF Closely Monitoring Rohingya Issue - Minister Hishammuddin

PETALING JAYA (Selangor), Sept 8 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) is closely monitoring the prosecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority community in Rakhine, Myanmar, said Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. Hishammuddin said he had instructed MAF chief General Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor to find ways to help the Rohingya refugees in Myanmar and Bangladesh. "It is important that we do this because of two reasons, one is based on humanitarian grounds and secondly, for national security defence,” he told reporters after sending off the first group of 215 Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) 850-5 members to Lebanon at the Subang Air Base here. Hishammuddin, who is also Minister of Special Functions in the Prime Minister’s Department, said if the MAF did not tackle the Rohingya refugee problem, there is a high tendency for them to be involved with extremist groups. He also said if the Rohingya refugees were not helped, irresponsible parties would exploit them. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA