Border Guard Bangladesh personel detain a suspected Myanmar citizen (C), who is suspected by Rohingya escapees of spying for Myanmar, at a refugee camp in Teknaf in southern Cox's Bazar district on November 24, 2016. Dhaka has called on Myanmar to take 'urgent measures' to protect its Rohingya minority after thousands crossed into Bangladesh in just a few days, some saying the military was burning villages and raping young girls.

Malaysia described the violence against Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya minority as "ethnic cleansing" on Saturday, ahead of a planned solidarity march in Kuala Lumpur expected to be led by Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The strongly-worded statement came after Myanmar said on Friday that Malaysia should respect sovereign affairs and follow Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) policy of non-interference in other member countries' internal affairs.

"The fact that only one particular ethnicity is being driven out is by definition ethnic cleansing," Malaysia's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"This practice must stop, and must be stopped immediately in order to bring back security and stability to the Southeast Asian region."

Muslim-majority Malaysia has been increasingly critical of Myanmar's handling of violence in northern Rakhine state that has sent hundreds of people fleeing across the border to Bangladesh, amid allegations of abuses by security forces.