Asianbangla Desk : Malaysia is looking to cancel multibillion-dollar Chinese-backed infrastructure projects signed by the previous scandal-tainted government as it digs itself out of debt, Malaysia’s prime minister said yesterday during an extensive interview in which he also blasted Myanmar’s treatment of Rohingya Muslims as “grossly unjust.” Ap, Putrajaya
Mahathir Mohamad, at 93 the world’s oldest prime minister, spoke with The Associated Press days before he heads to Beijing for his first visit since returning to power in a stunning electoral upset three months ago.
Mahathir blasted Myanmar’s treatment of Rohingya Muslims and said he was “very disappointed” with leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s failure to halt oppression of the group. He said Myanmar must accept that Rohingya, who have lived in the country for generations, are citizens.
“It is grossly unjust to do what they have done, killing people, mass murder, that’s not the way civilized nations behave,” he said.
Mahathir also said he wants to maintain good relations with China and welcomes its investment, so long as the projects benefit Malaysia. But he took his toughest stance yet on Chinese-backed energy pipelines and a rail project along peninsular Malaysia’s eastern coast that were struck by his predecessor, Najib Razak.
