SEREMBAN: The Malaysian government is working tirelessly to repatriate its citizens who have fallen victim to job scams in Myanmar, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
To facilitate these efforts, the Foreign Minister said the government has appointed former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tan Sri Othman Hashim as its special envoy to Myanmar to negotiate with various groups in the country.
Mohamad said the discussions focus not only on efforts to repatriate Malaysians caught as fraud victims, but also on ways to stop the violence against the local population.
“The situation in Myanmar is very challenging. We used to be able to negotiate, but now there are too many warlord factions controlling the provinces, and they are armed with significant weapons,” he told reporters after opening the Tok Mat e-Sports Cup tournament in Senawang on Saturday (December 21).
He added that Myanmar has many problematic regions, each with its own strengths, complicating the government’s efforts to resolve these issues.
“Our approach is to negotiate with these factions to assess their ‘wish lists’, which will then be compiled and studied to determine how we can adapt these demands. What is crucial is that Myanmar returns to being a peaceful country where its people can live harmoniously,” he said.
Mohamad advised Malaysians to be wary of job offers with promises of high salaries advertised on social media, especially in Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries.
He expressed his gratitude for the strong ties within Asean, which consistently provide assistance despite the constraints faced by some member states.
“Thanks to ASEAN’s neighboring countries for maintaining excellent relations. They help as much as they can, even if they sometimes face limitations and restrictions,” he said.
Regarding the Asean troika’s informal consultations and extended informal consultation sessions in Bangkok on Friday (Dec 20), Mohamad said the discussions focused on addressing the problems in Myanmar, as the crisis there poses significant challenges for Asean.
“That’s why Asean is negotiating, and since Malaysia will chair Asean next year, we are preparing early strategies on how to reduce these internal issues because we don’t want them to disturb the stability of Southeast Asia,” he said. – Bernama
