The Philippines said yesterday it respects Malaysia’s decision to dissociate itself from a statement on Myanmar’s Rakhine state issued by Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said this weekend that Malaysia was dissociating itself from the statement because it misrepresents the reality of the situation, omits reference to Rohingya Muslims as one of the affected communities and was not based on consensus — a rare public spat in ASEAN, which prides itself in its unity and decisions by consensus.
Manila said the Philippines, as ASEAN chair, issued the statement taking into account sentiments of others in the 10-member regional bloc and after extensive consultation with Malaysia.
The ASEAN chairman’s statement condemned “the attacks against Myanmar security forces” and “all acts of violence which resulted in loss of civilian lives, destruction of homes and displacement of large numbers of people.”
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