In what could be seen as a move triggered by the clashes involving its citizens in Malaysia, Myanmar Airways International (MAI) has given special offers to Myanmarese who are flying back to their home country.
The special offer was announced amid reports of tension prevailing among ethnic Myanmar nationals in Malaysia.
MAI is offering a 50% fare discount for Myanmarese staying in Malaysia who want to fly back to their home country. The discount will be available from 12 June to 12 July and only applicable for one-way journey from Malaysia.
According to reports, many charity foundations are also extending a hand to the overseas Myanmar labourers. The Aywyawady Foundation is said to be offering free air tickets for nearly 1,000 workers to return home while the Kanbawza Bank is donating money to help in the funeral services of the killed Myanmar employees in Malaysia.
The major reason cited behind the current offer is the clashes between Myanmar Buddhists and Rohingya communities which had claimed six deaths last week and led to hundreds of arrests. In Kuala Lumbur and certain areas in Selangor, numerous clashes were reported involving Myanmar citizens between 30 May and 4 June.
In order to prevent further clashes, the Kuala Lumpur task force had picked up around 1,000 Myanmar nationals. The Star reported that violence in Malaysia is linked to clashes in the Myanmar's Western Rakhine state between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims. The clash had claimed around 200 lives last year and displaced around 125,000 people in Myanmar.
The conflicts in Malaysia are alleged to have started in the wholesale market of Selayang were many Myanmar nationals are eking out a living. According to The Hindu, there are around 5, 00,000 Myanmar labourers working in Malaysia and an estimated 30,000 are Rohingyas.
