BANGKOK — Malaysia's foreign ministry says Myanmar's government must pursue justice for alleged human rights abuses against the Muslim Rohingya minority so that hundreds of thousands who fled a brutal military crackdown can return safely to the country.

The call comes ahead of a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Bangkok this week.

Over 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a counterinsurgency campaign by Myanmar's military in the western state of Rakhine in response to 2017 attacks by a Rohingya insurgent group. The campaign led to accusations that security forces committed mass rapes and killings and burned thousands of homes.

Malaysia's foreign ministry said Tuesday in a statement to The Associated Press that "ensuring accountability is imperative" to resolve the crisis and create a conducive environment for repatriation.