Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said ASEAN should hold an emergency meeting to condemn the Myanmar government’s persecution of the Rohingya people.

Dr Mahathir said it was because Myanmar’s action is inhumane.

"Because these are Myanmar citizens and it has been 800 years since they have been there. They should not kill or burn houses. They (Myanmar government) do so many things.

"If the government had not done that, the people would not run away. I think ASEAN should hold an emergency meeting about this,” he said during a press conference after launching 'Dr Mahathir's Selected Letters to World Leaders' at the Perdana Leadership, Monday.

PHOTO GALLERIES:

A boat holding hundreds of Rohingya migrants adrift in Thai waters

The plight of Rohingya in Malaysia


Dr Mahathir also said that Malaysia, as the chair of ASEAN should summon the heads of government to meet and tell Myanmar that they cannot do this to their own people.

“This is a cruel act. It creates problems for us,” he said.