Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan visited Naypyitaw, the capital of Myanmar, on Friday (Sept 15) and met Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

They discussed the situation in Rakhine state and how Asean could support Myanmar in providing humanitarian assistance to all affected communities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement on Saturday (Sept 16).

Dr Balakrishnan is on a two-day working visit to Myanmar.

The unfolding violence in western Myanmar's Rakhine state "is a complex inter-communal issue with deep historical roots", the Singapore Government had said on Sept 8, as it called on all parties involved to avoid any action that would worsen the situation on the ground.

Nearly 400,000 Rohingya Muslims from western Myanmar have crossed into Bangladesh since Aug 25, fleeing a Myanmar government offensive against insurgents that the United Nations has branded a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".

Muslim and Buddhist leaders in Singapore have also expressed concern over the ongoing violence in Rakhine.