KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia said on Monday the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar was a regional concern and called for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to coordinate humanitarian aid and investigate alleged atrocities committed against them.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said progress in improving the human rights of the Rohingya people in Rakhine state had been "rather slow" and reports of arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings, and rape by soldiers were continuing.

"We believe that the situation is now of a regional concern and should be resolved together," Anifah told a meeting with his ASEAN counterparts in Yangon, according to a transcript of his speech provided by the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.