The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called for emergency meetings on the Rohingya issue in Myanmar to be held at its permanent missions in New York, Geneva and Brussels.

Secretary-general Yousef A Al-Othaimeen who called the meetings also condemned the "repression and violation of human rights of the Rohingya community", the OIC said in a statement.

This came after Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said the OIC took notice of the pro-Rohingya rally held in Kuala Lumpur that Najib attended, which prompted a diplomatic row with Myanmar.

"The Myanmar government must recognise that its position in the international community does not only come with opportunities but also with responsibilities," the OIC said.

It also called for international investigation on reports of mass killings and abuse of Rohingya women, allegedly by military forces.

The Myanmar government denied the military perpetrated the violence and blamed local militants instead.

Former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan said the situation was not "genocide" as widely reported.

Annan said this after visiting the conflict area in the Rakhine state of Myanmar, on the invitation of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar last week summoned Malaysia's envoy to the country to protest Najib's attendance at the rally and stopped sending workers to Malaysia.

This prompted an outcry from manufacturers, who urged the government to compensate them for fees and other expenses already paid to recruit Myanmar workers.

The manufacturing industry said 70 percent of foreign workers employed in the manufacturing sector were from Myanmar.

However, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi welcomed Myanmar's move to stop sending workers and said the impact was inconsequential.

There are more than 50,000 Rohingya refugees in Malaysia, but Malaysia does not formally recognise them as refugees, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim said the UN refugee agency UNHCR, was allowed to issue identification cards to Rohingya refugees.