Malaysia: Myanmar must be accountable for Rohingya to return

Malaysia's foreign ministry says Myanmar's government must pursue justice for alleged human rights abuses against the Muslim Rohingya minority so that hundreds of thousands who fled a brutal military crackdown can return safely to the country.

The call comes ahead of a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Bangkok this week. Over 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a counterinsurgency campaign by Myanmar's military in the western state of Rakhine in response to 2017 attacks by a Rohingya insurgent group.

The campaign led to accusations that security forces committed mass rapes and killings and burned thousands of homes.

Malaysia's foreign ministry said Tuesday in a statement to The Associated Press that "ensuring accountability is imperative" to resolve the crisis and create a conducive environment for repatriation.