Malaysian PM Leads Protest Against ‘Genocide’ of Rohingya

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, speaks to the crowd during a protest against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar at a stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Dec. 4. Photo: Lim Huey Teng (AP)

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has led a protest rally against what he called a “genocide” of Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar.

Najib says Sunday’s rally at a stadium Kuala Lumpur in Muslim-majority Malaysia sends a strong message to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her government that “enough is enough” as he vowed to fight for the rights of the Rohingya.

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He said: “The world cannot stand by and watch genocide taking place.”

The plight of Rohingya in predominantly-Buddhist Myanmar has galvanized Muslims in Southeast Asia and beyond.

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Some critics accuse Najib, who is grappling with a financial scandal, of using the rally to win the support of the country’s Muslim Malays ahead of general elections due in 2018.