Malaysia team pushed to boycott Myanmar tournament

By P Prem Kumar

KUALA LUMPUR (AA) - Malaysia's football team is being to boycott an international tournament co-hosted by Myanmar in protest at a crackdown in Rohingya Muslim areas.

Youth & Sports Minister Khairy Jamaludin said in a Twitter statement Wednesday that he had lobbied for the team to boycott the ongoing ASEAN Football Federation's (AFF) Suzuki Cup, to stress Malaysian opposition.

"I raised this issue in cabinet last week. Will do so again this week and stand guided by the decision," the minister said.

On Sunday, Malaysia beat Cambodia 3-2 in its first game, and currently leads Group B, which also includes Vietnam and host Myanmar.

Matches involving Group A are being held in the Philippines, with the co-host facing Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.

Jamaludin's request came after a statement by popular Malaysian independent Islamic preacher, writer, lecturer and consultant Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin urged the government to stand firm against Myanmar's treatment of Rohingya.

"What is the meaning of sports without humanity? More than that, it is an extreme cruelty against one of mankind's ethnic group and they are Muslims," Abidin, the mufti of Malaysia's smallest state Pelis, was reported as saying Wednesday.

"We really hope for the government's strictness in this matter."

Since an armed group launched fatal attacks on police stations in an area of western Myanmar inhabited by Rohingya last month, the government has said at least 86 people -- 17 soldiers and 69 alleged "attackers" (among them two women) -- have been killed.

Rohingya groups, however, claim that the number killed in one weekend alone earlier this month could be as high as 150 civilians.

There has been no independent verification of the attacks or arrests as access to the affected area near the Bangladesh border has been under Myanmar military control since Oct. 9

Last week, Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that the government would allow some 300 Rohingya refugees into the country to seek employment, under a pilot project which would last for the next three years.

The Rohingya will be allowed to work in plantation and manufacturing sectors.