US President Barack Obama participates in a town hall meeting with Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) attendees at Taylor's University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia November 20, 2015. (Reuters)
Kuala Lumpur:
US President Barack Obama says he will "definitely" raise issues of human rights and corruption when he meets Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Kuala Lumpur today.
"I will do it. I admit I was going to do it anyway but now that I heard it from you, I'm definitely going to do it," he said in response to a question from a Malaysian student at a town hall at a Kuala Lumpur University.
Obama arrived in Malaysia for the final leg of a series of summits aimed at furthering Washington's bid to rebalance ties towards Asia and challenge China's increasingly assertive posture in the region.
Critics have accused Najib of escalating a crackdown on dissent and free expression after losing the popular vote in the 2013 general election. The prime minister has come under pressure himself after it was revealed in July that nearly $700 million in unexplained deposits were placed into his personal bank accounts. He has denied any wrongdoing but has yet to detail the source and purpose of the money he received.
"I will do it. I admit I was going to do it anyway but now that I heard it from you, I'm definitely going to do it," he said in response to a question from a Malaysian student at a town hall at a Kuala Lumpur University.
Obama arrived in Malaysia for the final leg of a series of summits aimed at furthering Washington's bid to rebalance ties towards Asia and challenge China's increasingly assertive posture in the region.
Critics have accused Najib of escalating a crackdown on dissent and free expression after losing the popular vote in the 2013 general election. The prime minister has come under pressure himself after it was revealed in July that nearly $700 million in unexplained deposits were placed into his personal bank accounts. He has denied any wrongdoing but has yet to detail the source and purpose of the money he received.
© Thomson Reuters 2015
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