The Myanmar Affairs Alliance (MAA), an advocacy coalition representing Myanmar migrant workers in Malaysia, called on the Malaysian government to stand with the people of Myanmar and reject regime leader Min Aung Hlaing during a protest in Kuala Lumpur against his two-day visit to the country on Thursday.
“We want the international community to know that Myanmar people do not support the regime and oppose Min Aung Hlaing’s visit. We want the Malaysian government to respect the people’s will,” Soe Htet Thein, the spokesperson for Myanmar Affairs Alliance, told DVB.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim welcomed Min Aung Hlaing to the capital Putrajaya on Thursday, where the two discussed bilateral ties, the repatriation of Myanmar nationals from Malaysia, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Anwar told Min Aung Hlaing that Malaysia would do “whatever is possible” to support Myanmar’s full reintegration into ASEAN.
Myanmar’s regime has been excluded from high-level ASEAN meetings and summits since 2021 after Min Aung Hlaing ousted the elected government from office and jailed Myanmar’s civilian leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
Min Aung Hlaing agreed to the ASEAN Five Point Consensus, the regional bloc’s peace plan for Myanmar in April 2021 but never implemented it upon his return to Myanmar.
He told Malaysian officials that his regime would bring home the 11,804 Myanmar nationals being held in immigration detention centres.
The visit was criticized by Malaysian and regional human rights groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Fortify Rights and ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR).
Former Malaysia lawmaker and APHR Board Member Wong Chen joined the Oct. 8 protest in Kuala Lumpur.
The Steering Council for the Emergence of a Federal Democratic Union (SCEF)–Myanmar’s leading resistance coalition formed—issued a statement on Thursday calling on Malaysia not to legitimize Min Aung Hlaing’s regime.
Protesters in Kuala Lumpur demanded the immediate release of all political prisoners in Myanmar, including Aung San Suu Kyi. Ahead of Min Aung Hlaing’s Oct. 7-8 visit to Malaysia, the Myanmar Affairs Alliance called for a nationwide “Work Stoppage Strike.”
