Turnbull raises Rohingya crisis with Suu Kyi during private chat

Malcolm Turnbull has had a private chat with Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi about the unfolding Rohingya refugee crisis.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has expressed his concerns about the unfolding Rohingya refugee crisis in a private chat with Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

More than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state have fled to Bangladesh, following military atrocities that the United Nations has dubbed a "textbook case of ethnic cleansing".

Myanmar's army has released a report denying all allegations of mass rape and killings by security forces.
The commanding officer in Rakhine State was replaced on Friday without any reasons given.

Ms Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has come under fire from the international community over her handling of the crisis.
Aung San Suu Kyi Rohingya Muslims
Aung San Suu Kyi's (right) and Rohingya Muslims (left). Source: Getty Images/AAP
Mr Turnbull had a pull-aside chat with Ms Suu Kyi on the margins of the East Asia summit in Manila.

Myanmar is predominately Buddhist and Rohingya people do not have citizenship and the government considers them illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

The country is making a rocky transition to a civilian government after 49 years of military rule.

The ten-member bloc Association of South East Asian Nations has been relatively silent on the atrocities.

The Turnbull government last week announced a four-week fundraising campaign for aid agencies responding to the humanitarian crisis.

The government will match public donation of up to $5 million to the Australian Red Cross and the United Nations refugee arm to support their relief efforts in the refugee camps

The government has pledged $30 million in emergency funds since September.

Meanwhile, Australia's military is continuing defence cooperation with Myanmar despite the United Kingdom and the United States issuing a ban.

Military assistance is worth almost $400,000 and involves training in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, peacekeeping and English classes.

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2 min read
Published 14 November 2017 7:00pm
Updated 14 November 2017 8:12pm


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