Pressure grew on Myanmar Monday as a rights group urged world leaders to impose sanctions on its military, which is accused of driving out more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims in an orchestrated &quot;ethnic cleansing&quot; campaign.

The call from Human Rights Watch came as the UN General Assembly prepared to convene in New York, with the crisis in Myanmar one of the most pressing topics.

It also came on the eve of a highly-anticipated national address by Myanmar&#39;s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi -- her first on the Rakhine crisis.&nbsp;

The exodus of Rohingya refugees from mainly Buddhist Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh has sparked a humanitarian emergency. Aid groups are struggling to provide relief to a daily stream of new arrivals, more than half of whom are children.

Myanmar has suggested it will not take back all who had fled across the border, accusing those refugees of having links to the Rohingya militants whose raids on police posts in August triggered the army backlash.

Any clear moves to block the refugees&#39; return will likely anger Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, who will press the General Assembly to raise global pressure Myanmar to take back all the Rohingya massing in shanty towns and camps near the border.

Human Rights Watch also called for the &quot;safe and voluntary return&quot; of the displaced as it urge governments around the globe to punish Myanmar&#39;s army with sanctions for the &quot;ongoing atrocities&quot; against the Rohingya.

&quot;The United Nations Security Council and concerned countries should impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the Burmese military to end its ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims,&quot; the group said in a statement.

Myanmar&#39;s military was hit with Western sanctions during its 50-year rule of the country. But most have been lifted in recent years as the generals have allowed a partial transition to democracy.

&quot;Burma&#39;s senior military commanders are more likely to heed the calls of the international community if they are suffering real economic consequences,&quot; said John Sifton, HRW&#39;s Asia advocacy director.

Suu Kyi&#39;s &#39;last chance&#39;&nbsp;

Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi has shocked the international community with her near-silence on the plight of the Rohingya and her failure to condemn the actions of the army, with whom she has a delicate power-sharing arrangement.

Speaking to the BBC over the weekend, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Suu Kyi&#39;s upcoming address a &quot;last chance&quot; to stop the unfolding humanitarian calamity.

But analysts say it will be difficult for her to tamp both global outrage and combustible religious tensions at home, where there is broad support among the mainly Buddhist populace for the army&#39;s crackdown.

&quot;I&#39;m worried that there is almost no possibility given the political climate in Myanmar for balancing the expectations of most of the country and the expectations of the international community,&quot; Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar, told AFP.&nbsp;

Duelling protests&nbsp;

The sharp divide was on display Monday as protests broke out in Dhaka -- where 20,000 Islamist hardliners marched in solidarity with the Rohingya -- and in Yangon, where a much smaller group of 300 gathered to blast global interference in the conflict.&nbsp;

The ultra-nationalists in Yangon braved a downpour as they waved Myanmar flags and banners describing the UN and global NGOs as &quot;supporting organisations for the terrorists&quot;.&nbsp;

While the world has watched the refugee crisis unfold with horror, there is little sympathy for the Rohingya inside Myanmar.

Many Buddhists revile the Muslim minority and have long denied the existence of the Rohingya as an ethnic group, insisting they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi&#39;s government has so far defended the military campaign as a legitimate crackdown on the Rohingya militants, who first emerged as a fighting force last October.

On Sunday Myanmar&#39;s Information Committee accused those who fled to Bangladesh -- more than a third of the Rohingya population -- of working in cahoots with the Rohingya militants, a rag-tag group of fighters armed with mostly rudimentary weapons.

&quot;Those who fled the villages made their way to the other country for fear of being arrested as they got involved in the violent attacks,&quot; the statement said.

&quot;Legal protection will be given to the villages whose residents did not flee,&quot; it added.

The violence has gutted large swaths of northern Rakhine in just over three weeks, with fires visible almost daily across the border from the Bangladesh camps.

Some 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Hindus have also been displaced by unrest in northern Rakhine, where foreign aid has been severely curtailed.&nbsp;

On Monday, Doctors Without Borders repeated calls for &quot;unfettered access&quot; to the conflict zone, saying hundreds of thousands of people are thought to be languishing &quot;without any meaningful form of humanitarian assistance&quot;.

The call from Human Rights Watch came as the UN General Assembly prepared to convene in New York, with the crisis in Myanmar one of the most pressing topics.

Pressure grew on Myanmar Monday as a rights group urged world leaders to impose sanctions on its military, which is accused of driving out more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims in an orchestrated "ethnic cleansing" campaign. The call from Human Rights Watch came as the UN General Assembly prepared to convene in New York, with the crisis in Myanmar one of the most pressing topics. It also came on the eve of a highly-anticipated national address by Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi -- her first on the Rakhine crisis. The exodus of Rohingya refugees from mainly Buddhist Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh has sparked a humanitarian emergency. Aid groups are struggling to provide relief to a daily stream of new arrivals, more than half of whom are children. Myanmar has suggested it will not take back all who had fled across the border, accusing those refugees of having links to the Rohingya militants whose raids on police posts in August triggered the army backlash. Any clear moves to block the refugees' return will likely anger Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, who will press the General Assembly to raise global pressure Myanmar to take back all the Rohingya massing in shanty towns and camps near the border. Human Rights Watch also called for the "safe and voluntary return" of the displaced as it urge governments around the globe to punish Myanmar's army with sanctions for the "ongoing atrocities" against the Rohingya. "The United Nations Security Council and concerned countries should impose targeted sanctions and an arms embargo on the Burmese military to end its ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims," the group said in a statement. Myanmar's military was hit with Western sanctions during its 50-year rule of the country. But most have been lifted in recent years as the generals have allowed a partial transition to democracy. "Burma's senior military commanders are more likely to heed the calls of the international community if they are suffering real economic consequences," said John Sifton, HRW's Asia advocacy director. Suu Kyi's 'last chance' Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi has shocked the international community with her near-silence on the plight of the Rohingya and her failure to condemn the actions of the army, with whom she has a delicate power-sharing arrangement. Speaking to the BBC over the weekend, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Suu Kyi's upcoming address a "last chance" to stop the unfolding humanitarian calamity. But analysts say it will be difficult for her to tamp both global outrage and combustible religious tensions at home, where there is broad support among the mainly Buddhist populace for the army's crackdown. "I'm worried that there is almost no possibility given the political climate in Myanmar for balancing the expectations of most of the country and the expectations of the international community," Richard Horsey, an independent analyst based in Myanmar, told AFP. Duelling protests The sharp divide was on display Monday as protests broke out in Dhaka -- where 20,000 Islamist hardliners marched in solidarity with the Rohingya -- and in Yangon, where a much smaller group of 300 gathered to blast global interference in the conflict. The ultra-nationalists in Yangon braved a downpour as they waved Myanmar flags and banners describing the UN and global NGOs as "supporting organisations for the terrorists". While the world has watched the refugee crisis unfold with horror, there is little sympathy for the Rohingya inside Myanmar. Many Buddhists revile the Muslim minority and have long denied the existence of the Rohingya as an ethnic group, insisting they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Suu Kyi's government has so far defended the military campaign as a legitimate crackdown on the Rohingya militants, who first emerged as a fighting force last October. On Sunday Myanmar's Information Committee accused those who fled to Bangladesh -- more than a third of the Rohingya population -- of working in cahoots with the Rohingya militants, a rag-tag group of fighters armed with mostly rudimentary weapons. "Those who fled the villages made their way to the other country for fear of being arrested as they got involved in the violent attacks," the statement said. "Legal protection will be given to the villages whose residents did not flee," it added. The violence has gutted large swaths of northern Rakhine in just over three weeks, with fires visible almost daily across the border from the Bangladesh camps. Some 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Hindus have also been displaced by unrest in northern Rakhine, where foreign aid has been severely curtailed. On Monday, Doctors Without Borders repeated calls for "unfettered access" to the conflict zone, saying hundreds of thousands of people are thought to be languishing "without any meaningful form of humanitarian assistance".

UN urged to punish Myanmar army over Rohingya 'atrocities'

The Centre filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Monday on the Rohingya matter.&nbsp;

The Centre told the Supreme Court that the total number of &quot;such illegal immigrants into our country&quot; was more than 40,000, approximately.&nbsp;

The Centre added that the &quot;continuance of the Rohingyas&rsquo; illegal immigration into India and their continued stay has serious national security ramifications and threats&quot;.&nbsp;

The Centre added that it has &quot;contemporaneous inputs from security agencies indicating links of some unauthorised Rohingyas with Pakistan terror organisations&quot;.&nbsp;

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Centre has contemporaneous from security agencies inputs indicating links of some unauthorized <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rohingyas?src=hash">#Rohingyas</a> with Pak terror orgs:Centre in SC
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/909677729104068608">September 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal /anti national activities i.e. mobilization of funds through hundi/hawala channels: Centre in SC 1/2
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/909678218252132352">September 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Procuring fake Indian identities for other <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rohingyas?src=hash">#Rohingyas</a> and also indulging in human trafficking: Centre in SC 2/2
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/909678338737704960">September 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Centre added that some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal/ anti-national activities ie mobilisation of funds through hundi/ hawala channels.&nbsp;

The Centre added that these Rohingyas are procuring fake Indian identities for other Rohingyas and that they are also indulging in human trafficking.&nbsp;

The Centre added that the &quot;court may decline interference, leaving to Centre to exercise essential executive function by way of policy decision&quot;.&nbsp;

The Supreme Court will now hear the matter on October 3.&nbsp;

The Centre added that these Rohingyas are indulging in illegal/ anti-national activities, ie the mobilisation of funds through hawala channels

The Centre filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Monday on the Rohingya matter. The Centre told the Supreme Court that the total number of "such illegal immigrants into our country" was more than 40,000, approximately. The Centre added that the "continuance of the Rohingyas’ illegal immigration into India and their continued stay has serious national security ramifications and threats". The Centre added that it has "contemporaneous inputs from security agencies indicating links of some unauthorised Rohingyas with Pakistan terror organisations". Centre has contemporaneous from security agencies inputs indicating links of some unauthorized #Rohingyas with Pak terror orgs:Centre in SC — ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017 × Some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal /anti national activities i.e. mobilization of funds through hundi/hawala channels: Centre in SC 1/2 — ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017 × Procuring fake Indian identities for other #Rohingyas and also indulging in human trafficking: Centre in SC 2/2 — ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2017 × The Centre added that some Rohingyas are indulging in illegal/ anti-national activities ie mobilisation of funds through hundi/ hawala channels. The Centre added that these Rohingyas are procuring fake Indian identities for other Rohingyas and that they are also indulging in human trafficking. The Centre added that the "court may decline interference, leaving to Centre to exercise essential executive function by way of policy decision". The Supreme Court will now hear the matter on October 3.

Some Rohingya have links with Pakistan terror groups, Centre tells Supreme Court

Myanmar said on Friday a visiting US official would not be allowed to go to a region where violence has triggered an exodus of nearly 400,000 Rohingya Muslims that the United Nations has branded a &quot;textbook example of ethnic cleansing&quot;.

The Rohingya have fled from western Rakhine state to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape a military offensive that has raised questions about Myanmar&#39;s transition to civilian rule under the leadership of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Murphy will voice Washington&#39;s concerns about the Rohingya and press for greater access to the conflict area for humanitarian workers, the State Department said.

Myanmar officials said he would meet government leaders in the capital, Naypyitaw, and attend an address to the nation by Suu Kyi on Tuesday.

He would also visit Sittwe, the state capital, and meet the governor of Rakhine, the state government secretary, Tin Maung Swe, told Reuters, but the north of the state, where the conflict erupted on August 25 would be off limits.

&quot;Not allowed,&quot; Tin Maung Swe said, when asked if Murphy would be going to Maungdaw district, at the heart of the strife that began when Rohingya insurgents attacked police posts and an army camp, killing a dozen people.

While nearly 400,000 refugees have poured across the border into Bangladesh, fears have also been growing of a humanitarian crisis on the Myanmar side, but access for aid workers and reporters has been severely restricted.

Myanmar insisted on Friday it was not barring aid workers but a government spokesman said authorities on the ground might have concerns over security.

Rights monitors and fleeing Rohingya say the army and Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes have mounted a campaign of arson aimed at driving out the Muslim population.

A Reuters photographer on the Bangladesh side of the border said he could see huge banks of dark smoke billowing up over Myanmar territory on Friday, while international aid organisations said the refugees kept coming.

&quot;There&rsquo;s really no sign that this flow of people is going to dry up,&quot; Chris Lom of the International Organisation for Migration, said from the Bangladeshi border district of Cox&rsquo;s Bazar.

&quot;There are still, we believe, thousands of people waiting to take boats across to Cox&#39;s Bazar.&rdquo;

&#39;Scorched Earth&#39;&nbsp;

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council have urged Myanmar to end the violence, which he said was best described as ethnic cleansing.

Myanmar rejects the accusations, saying its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against the insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which claimed responsibility for the Aug. 25 attacks and similar, though smaller, attacks in October.

Russia&#39;s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on Friday that while Moscow was concerned &quot;we cannot discard the fact that it was triggered by terrorist activities.&quot;

&quot;We&#39;re talking to the Myanmar government, of course,&quot; he told reporters. &quot;We are concerned with what is happening. ... We are looking forward to an early cessation of the violence and to elevating the humanitarian situation of the population.&quot;

The government has declared Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army a terrorist organisation and accused it of setting the fires and attacking civilians.

Ethnic cleansing is not recognised as a separate crime under international law but allegations of ethnic cleansing as part of wider, systematic human rights violations have been heard in international courts.

Rights group Amnesty International said evidence pointed to a &quot;mass-scale scorched-earth campaign&quot; across the north of Rakhine that was unmistakably ethnic cleansing.

&quot;The evidence is irrefutable &ndash; the Myanmar security forces are setting northern Rakhine state ablaze in a targeted campaign to push the Rohingya people out of Myanmar,&quot; said Tirana Hassan, the group&#39;s crisis response director.

The group said it had detected 80 big fires in Rohingya areas since Aug. 25. While the extent of damage could not be verified, due to access restrictions by the government, &quot;they are likely to have burned down whole villages&quot;.

It said it also had credible reports of Rohingya militants burning the homes of ethnic Rakhine and other minorities. About 30,000 non-Muslims have also been displaced.

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday he had spoken with Suu Kyi and that she said she was working to get aid to areas in Myanmar affected by violence.

The generals still control national security policy but nevertheless, Suu Kyi has been widely criticised abroad for not stopping or condemning the violence. The campaign against the Muslim insurgents is popular at home.

The UN refugee agency said the Rohingya arriving in Bangladesh were suffering &quot;real hardship, and some of the most difficult conditions seen in any current refugee situation&quot;.

&quot;With the influx increasing daily, UNHCR is appealing for an initial amount of $30 million for the emergency humanitarian response in Bangladesh until the end of year,&quot; an agency spokesman said in Geneva.

Bangladesh says all refugees must go home and has called for safe areas in Myanmar. Myanmar has ruled that out and says it will accept anyone who can verify their citizenship. Most Rohingya are stateless.

Thousands of people demonstrated after Friday prayers in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, to denounce the treatment of the Rohingya.

One protest leader said they were demanding a UN peacekeeping force and that Myanmar face charges in an international court.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Murphy will voice Washington's concerns about the Rohingya and press for greater access to the conflict area for humanitarian workers

Myanmar said on Friday a visiting US official would not be allowed to go to a region where violence has triggered an exodus of nearly 400,000 Rohingya Muslims that the United Nations has branded a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing". The Rohingya have fled from western Rakhine state to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape a military offensive that has raised questions about Myanmar's transition to civilian rule under the leadership of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Patrick Murphy will voice Washington's concerns about the Rohingya and press for greater access to the conflict area for humanitarian workers, the State Department said. Myanmar officials said he would meet government leaders in the capital, Naypyitaw, and attend an address to the nation by Suu Kyi on Tuesday. He would also visit Sittwe, the state capital, and meet the governor of Rakhine, the state government secretary, Tin Maung Swe, told Reuters, but the north of the state, where the conflict erupted on August 25 would be off limits. "Not allowed," Tin Maung Swe said, when asked if Murphy would be going to Maungdaw district, at the heart of the strife that began when Rohingya insurgents attacked police posts and an army camp, killing a dozen people. While nearly 400,000 refugees have poured across the border into Bangladesh, fears have also been growing of a humanitarian crisis on the Myanmar side, but access for aid workers and reporters has been severely restricted. Myanmar insisted on Friday it was not barring aid workers but a government spokesman said authorities on the ground might have concerns over security. Rights monitors and fleeing Rohingya say the army and Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes have mounted a campaign of arson aimed at driving out the Muslim population. A Reuters photographer on the Bangladesh side of the border said he could see huge banks of dark smoke billowing up over Myanmar territory on Friday, while international aid organisations said the refugees kept coming. "There’s really no sign that this flow of people is going to dry up," Chris Lom of the International Organisation for Migration, said from the Bangladeshi border district of Cox’s Bazar. "There are still, we believe, thousands of people waiting to take boats across to Cox's Bazar.” 'Scorched Earth' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council have urged Myanmar to end the violence, which he said was best described as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar rejects the accusations, saying its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against the insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which claimed responsibility for the Aug. 25 attacks and similar, though smaller, attacks in October. Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on Friday that while Moscow was concerned "we cannot discard the fact that it was triggered by terrorist activities." "We're talking to the Myanmar government, of course," he told reporters. "We are concerned with what is happening. ... We are looking forward to an early cessation of the violence and to elevating the humanitarian situation of the population." The government has declared Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army a terrorist organisation and accused it of setting the fires and attacking civilians. Ethnic cleansing is not recognised as a separate crime under international law but allegations of ethnic cleansing as part of wider, systematic human rights violations have been heard in international courts. Rights group Amnesty International said evidence pointed to a "mass-scale scorched-earth campaign" across the north of Rakhine that was unmistakably ethnic cleansing. "The evidence is irrefutable – the Myanmar security forces are setting northern Rakhine state ablaze in a targeted campaign to push the Rohingya people out of Myanmar," said Tirana Hassan, the group's crisis response director. The group said it had detected 80 big fires in Rohingya areas since Aug. 25. While the extent of damage could not be verified, due to access restrictions by the government, "they are likely to have burned down whole villages". It said it also had credible reports of Rohingya militants burning the homes of ethnic Rakhine and other minorities. About 30,000 non-Muslims have also been displaced. US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Thursday he had spoken with Suu Kyi and that she said she was working to get aid to areas in Myanmar affected by violence. The generals still control national security policy but nevertheless, Suu Kyi has been widely criticised abroad for not stopping or condemning the violence. The campaign against the Muslim insurgents is popular at home. The UN refugee agency said the Rohingya arriving in Bangladesh were suffering "real hardship, and some of the most difficult conditions seen in any current refugee situation". "With the influx increasing daily, UNHCR is appealing for an initial amount of $30 million for the emergency humanitarian response in Bangladesh until the end of year," an agency spokesman said in Geneva. Bangladesh says all refugees must go home and has called for safe areas in Myanmar. Myanmar has ruled that out and says it will accept anyone who can verify their citizenship. Most Rohingya are stateless. Thousands of people demonstrated after Friday prayers in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, to denounce the treatment of the Rohingya. One protest leader said they were demanding a UN peacekeeping force and that Myanmar face charges in an international court.

Myanmar says US official barred from Rohingya conflict zone

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh could die due to a lack of food, shelter, and water available for the huge numbers of them fleeing violence in Myanmar, an aid agency warned on Sunday.

Nearly 410,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority fled from western Rakhine state to Bangladesh to escape a military offensive that the United Nations has branded a &quot;textbook example of ethnic cleansing&quot;.

&quot;Many people are arriving hungry, exhausted and with no food or water,&quot; Mark Pierce, Bangladesh country director for the Save the Children aid agency said in a statement.

&quot;I&rsquo;m particularly worried that the demand for food, shelter, water and basic hygiene support is not being met due to the sheer number of people in need. If families can&rsquo;t meet their basic needs, the suffering will get even worse and lives could be lost.&quot;

Bangladesh has for decades faced influxes of Rohingya fleeing persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where the Rohingya are regarded as illegal migrants.

Bangladesh was already home to 400,000 Rohingya before the latest crisis erupted on Aug. 25, when Rohingya insurgents attacked police posts and an army camp, killing a dozen people.

Pierce said the humanitarian response needed to be rapidly scaled up.

&quot;That can only be done if the international community steps up funding,&rdquo; he said.

Rights monitors and fleeing Rohingya say the Myanmar security forces and Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes responded to the Aug. 25 insurgent attacks with what they say is a campaign of violence and arson aimed at driving out the Muslim population.

Myanmar rejects those accusations, saying its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against the insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which claimed responsibility for the August attacks and similar, smaller, raids in October.

The Myanmar government has declared the group a terrorist organisation and accused it of setting the fires and attacking civilians.

Suu Kyi Address

More than 430 people have been killed, most of them insurgents, and about 30,000 non-Muslim villagers have been displaced, Myanmar has said. Human Rights Watch said satellite imagery showed 62 Rohingya villages had been torched.

Myanmar government leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of criticism from abroad for not stopping the violence or condemning it more forcefully.

The military remains in full control of security policy and there is little sympathy for the Rohingya in a country where the end of military rule has unleashed old animosities and the military campaign in Rakhine State is widely supported.

Suu Kyi is due to make her first address to the nation on the crisis on Tuesday.

Her foreign supporters and Western governments that backed her campaign against military rule, and see her as the best hope for Myanmar&#39;s future, will be hoping to see her make a new commitment to protect the rights of the Muslim minority.

At home, her supporters could be disappointed if she is perceived to be caving in to foreign pressure and taking the side of a Muslim minority blamed for initiating the violence with the attacks on the security forces.

The Myanmar military has called for unity on the issue.

The political party founded by retired officers and trounced by Suu Kyi&#39;s party in the 2015 election, could be expected to take heart to see her support eroded by the crisis.

Nearly 410,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority fled from western Rakhine state to Bangladesh to escape a military offensive that the United Nations has branded a 'textbook example of ethnic cleansing'

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh could die due to a lack of food, shelter, and water available for the huge numbers of them fleeing violence in Myanmar, an aid agency warned on Sunday. Nearly 410,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority fled from western Rakhine state to Bangladesh to escape a military offensive that the United Nations has branded a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing". "Many people are arriving hungry, exhausted and with no food or water," Mark Pierce, Bangladesh country director for the Save the Children aid agency said in a statement. "I’m particularly worried that the demand for food, shelter, water and basic hygiene support is not being met due to the sheer number of people in need. If families can’t meet their basic needs, the suffering will get even worse and lives could be lost." Bangladesh has for decades faced influxes of Rohingya fleeing persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where the Rohingya are regarded as illegal migrants. Bangladesh was already home to 400,000 Rohingya before the latest crisis erupted on Aug. 25, when Rohingya insurgents attacked police posts and an army camp, killing a dozen people. Pierce said the humanitarian response needed to be rapidly scaled up. "That can only be done if the international community steps up funding,” he said. Rights monitors and fleeing Rohingya say the Myanmar security forces and Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes responded to the Aug. 25 insurgent attacks with what they say is a campaign of violence and arson aimed at driving out the Muslim population. Myanmar rejects those accusations, saying its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against the insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which claimed responsibility for the August attacks and similar, smaller, raids in October. The Myanmar government has declared the group a terrorist organisation and accused it of setting the fires and attacking civilians. Suu Kyi Address More than 430 people have been killed, most of them insurgents, and about 30,000 non-Muslim villagers have been displaced, Myanmar has said. Human Rights Watch said satellite imagery showed 62 Rohingya villages had been torched. Myanmar government leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of criticism from abroad for not stopping the violence or condemning it more forcefully. The military remains in full control of security policy and there is little sympathy for the Rohingya in a country where the end of military rule has unleashed old animosities and the military campaign in Rakhine State is widely supported. Suu Kyi is due to make her first address to the nation on the crisis on Tuesday. Her foreign supporters and Western governments that backed her campaign against military rule, and see her as the best hope for Myanmar's future, will be hoping to see her make a new commitment to protect the rights of the Muslim minority. At home, her supporters could be disappointed if she is perceived to be caving in to foreign pressure and taking the side of a Muslim minority blamed for initiating the violence with the attacks on the security forces. The Myanmar military has called for unity on the issue. The political party founded by retired officers and trounced by Suu Kyi's party in the 2015 election, could be expected to take heart to see her support eroded by the crisis.

Aid group warns of death among Rohingya in Bangladesh

Bangladesh confirmed on Friday that India is building pressure on Myanmar to stop the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/empty-villages-rohingya-on-the-run-who-is-left-in-myanmars-rakhine-20239">persecution of Rohingya Muslims</a>.

India&#39;s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the phone and conveyed that the Indian government fully backed Bangladesh&#39;s stance on the Rohingyas, Sheikh Hasina&#39;s deputy press secretary Nazrul Islam was quoted by a media outlet as saying.

In her phone call, Sushma Swaraj emphasised that India was trying to build bilateral and multilateral pressure on Myanmar to stop the persecution of Rohingya Muslims and as to take back the refugees sheltered in Bangladesh.

&quot;The Rohingya problem is not an issue for Bangladesh alone; rather, it has turned into a global matter from a regional one,&quot; Sushma Swaraj apparently told Sheikh Hasina.

Fleeing the barbarous persecution in Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine State, the Rohingya Muslims have taken refuge in Bangladesh&#39;s border areas of Cox&#39;s Bazar and Teknaf.&nbsp;

They are suffering from an absence of food, shelters, medicines, sanitation facilities and clean water.

In response to the humanitarian crisis, India on Thursday sent a consignment of humanitarian assistance to the country.

The assistance comes days after Bangladesh briefed India about the problems it was facing because of the influx of refugees from Myanmar following the ethnic violence in the Buddhist-dominated nation.

Sheikh Hasina has called upon Myanmar to take its citizens back, pointing out that the entire world is raising its voice against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in the country.

The Bangladesh PM will also make a formal proposal at the upcoming UN General Assembly session for an early implementation of recommendations by the Kofi Annan Commission which recommended a number of measures that the Myanmar Government should take to avoid the persecution of the Rohingya Muslims.

The Kofi Annan commission asked the government to take concrete steps to end the enforced segregation of Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, ensure full and unfettered humanitarian access throughout the state, tackle Rohingya statelessness and revisit the 1982 Citizenship Law, hold perpetrators of human rights violations accountable, and end restrictions on freedom of movement.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said that Prime Minister Hasina would highlight the root cause behind the long-standing humanitarian crisis and place specific proposals for early solution during her address at the general debate on September 21.

Prime Minister Hasina will also urge the world leaders to play an effective role in stopping the genocide of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.&nbsp;

Sheikh Hasina's Deputy Press Secretary Nazrul Islam said that Sushma spoke to the Bangladesh Prime Minister over the phone and conveyed the message to her

Bangladesh confirmed on Friday that India is building pressure on Myanmar to stop the persecution of Rohingya Muslims. India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina over the phone and conveyed that the Indian government fully backed Bangladesh's stance on the Rohingyas, Sheikh Hasina's deputy press secretary Nazrul Islam was quoted by a media outlet as saying. In her phone call, Sushma Swaraj emphasised that India was trying to build bilateral and multilateral pressure on Myanmar to stop the persecution of Rohingya Muslims and as to take back the refugees sheltered in Bangladesh. "The Rohingya problem is not an issue for Bangladesh alone; rather, it has turned into a global matter from a regional one," Sushma Swaraj apparently told Sheikh Hasina. Fleeing the barbarous persecution in Myanmar's Rakhine State, the Rohingya Muslims have taken refuge in Bangladesh's border areas of Cox's Bazar and Teknaf. They are suffering from an absence of food, shelters, medicines, sanitation facilities and clean water. In response to the humanitarian crisis, India on Thursday sent a consignment of humanitarian assistance to the country. The assistance comes days after Bangladesh briefed India about the problems it was facing because of the influx of refugees from Myanmar following the ethnic violence in the Buddhist-dominated nation. Sheikh Hasina has called upon Myanmar to take its citizens back, pointing out that the entire world is raising its voice against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in the country. The Bangladesh PM will also make a formal proposal at the upcoming UN General Assembly session for an early implementation of recommendations by the Kofi Annan Commission which recommended a number of measures that the Myanmar Government should take to avoid the persecution of the Rohingya Muslims. The Kofi Annan commission asked the government to take concrete steps to end the enforced segregation of Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, ensure full and unfettered humanitarian access throughout the state, tackle Rohingya statelessness and revisit the 1982 Citizenship Law, hold perpetrators of human rights violations accountable, and end restrictions on freedom of movement. Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said that Prime Minister Hasina would highlight the root cause behind the long-standing humanitarian crisis and place specific proposals for early solution during her address at the general debate on September 21. Prime Minister Hasina will also urge the world leaders to play an effective role in stopping the genocide of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

India building pressure on Myanmar to stop persecution of Rohingyas, confirms Bangladesh

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has promised to help the more than 300,000 &shy;Rohingya who have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh in recent weeks but has urged the Myanmar government &ldquo;to take their nationals back&rdquo;. 
 
&ldquo;We have the ability to feed 160 million people of Bangladesh and we have enough food security to feed the 700,000 refugees,&rdquo; Hasina said after visiting a new refugee camp, The Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Ukhiya, Cox&rsquo;s Bazar, the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.banglatribune.com/country/news/242295/%E0%A7%AD-%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%96-%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%99%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%93-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%82%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B6-%E0%A6%96%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%93%E0%A7%9F%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%87" target="_blank">Bangla&nbsp;Tribune</a>&nbsp;reported.&nbsp;

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<h5>Does the Myanmar government not have a conscience? How can they displace hundreds or thousands of people because of a few?&#39;</h5>
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&ldquo;We have let the Rohingya in on humanitarian grounds and I ask the people of this country to help ease their suffering in whatever way they can,&rdquo; she said after distributing aid&nbsp;at the camp.

Urging action against Myanmar, Hasina said, &ldquo;I ask the international community to put pressure on the Myanmar government to take back their nationals.

&ldquo;Bangladesh wants to maintain peace and good relations with its neighbouring countries, but it cannot accept unjust acts of the Myanmar government. We will do all we can to ease the suffering of the Rohingya refugees.&rdquo;

She expressed&nbsp;disappointment at the government of Myanmar &ldquo;Does the Myanmar government not have a conscience? How can they displace hundreds or thousands of people because of a few?&rdquo;

Hasina also instructed local authorities to make certain the refugees who need it are given medical aid.

As many as 370,000 Rohingya have flooded into Bangladesh since August 25, when Myanmar&rsquo;s military responded to an insurgent attack with what has since been called a &quot;progrom&quot; or genocide against the&nbsp;Rohingya.&nbsp;

As many as 370,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh in recent weeks, adding to the 300,000 already there

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has promised to help the more than 300,000 Rohingya who have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh in recent weeks but has urged the Myanmar government “to take their nationals back”. “We have the ability to feed 160 million people of Bangladesh and we have enough food security to feed the 700,000 refugees,” Hasina said after visiting a new refugee camp, The Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar, the Bangla Tribune reported. Does the Myanmar government not have a conscience? How can they displace hundreds or thousands of people because of a few?' × “We have let the Rohingya in on humanitarian grounds and I ask the people of this country to help ease their suffering in whatever way they can,” she said after distributing aid at the camp. Urging action against Myanmar, Hasina said, “I ask the international community to put pressure on the Myanmar government to take back their nationals. “Bangladesh wants to maintain peace and good relations with its neighbouring countries, but it cannot accept unjust acts of the Myanmar government. We will do all we can to ease the suffering of the Rohingya refugees.” She expressed disappointment at the government of Myanmar “Does the Myanmar government not have a conscience? How can they displace hundreds or thousands of people because of a few?” Hasina also instructed local authorities to make certain the refugees who need it are given medical aid. As many as 370,000 Rohingya have flooded into Bangladesh since August 25, when Myanmar’s military responded to an insurgent attack with what has since been called a "progrom" or genocide against the Rohingya.

We can feed 160 million Bangladeshis, we can feed 700,000 Rohingya: Bangladesh PM Hasina

Thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled violence in Myanmar in search of refuge could be forced to make their new homes on a barren Bangladeshi island that floods every year.

The Bangladesh government has appealed for international support to move the Rohingya to the island as the impoverished country confronts a growing crisis over where to house an influx that has mounted following a military crackdown in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state.

More than 300,000 Rohingya have poured into Bangladesh since the latest flare-up in violence on August 25, adding to around 300,000 refugees already living in overflowing UN-run camps in Cox&#39;s Bazar district, close to the border with Myanmar.

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<h5>The authorities first proposed settling Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char island in 2015 but the plan was apparently shelved last year amid reports that the silt island, which only emerged from the sea in 2006, was unhabitable due to regular tidal flooding</h5>
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The surge has overwhelmed the Bangladesh authorities, who are scrambling to find land to build more camps, including on the inhospitable and uninhabited Thengar Char island -- recently renamed Bhasan Char -- despite reluctance on the part of Rohingya leaders and UN officials.

Bhasan Char, located in the estuary of the Meghna river, is a one-hour boat ride from Sandwip, the nearest inhabited island, and two hours from Hatiya, one of Bangladesh&#39;s largest islands.

The authorities first proposed settling Rohingya refugees there in 2015, as the camps in Cox&#39;s Bazar became overstretched with new arrivals.

But the plan was apparently shelved last year amid reports that the silt island, which only emerged from the sea in 2006, was unhabitable due to regular tidal flooding.

The government is trying to find new room for the Rohingya, including establishing a new 2,000-acre (800-hectare) camp near Cox&#39;s Bazar, close to the Myanmar border, which will house around 250,000 Rohingya.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was to visit the construction site on Tuesday.

As the exodus swells, however, there are fears that may not be enough to accommodate all those in need of shelter.

As a result, the Bangladesh government is speeding up work at Bhasan Char with a view to building a 10,000-acre facility that can house hundreds of thousands of Rohingya.

But they face huge challenges.

&nbsp;&#39;Complex and controversial&#39;&nbsp;

A police official in the region told AFP that the island, which is used sporadically by fishermen and farmers seeking to graze their animals, was susceptible to tidal flooding once or twice a year.

&quot;I think the island needs&nbsp;massive infrastructure before it gets habitable,&quot; the official said.

The presence of the Bangladesh Navy, which is involved in developing the island, has deterred pirates who used to operate in the seas around Bhasan Char.

&quot;The Navy has already set up two helipads and are now building roads and a shed for their use&quot;, said Mahbub Alam Talkukder, a government administrator based in the region.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H Mahmood Ali on Sunday appealed for international assistance to help transport the Rohingya to Bhashan Char during a meeting with diplomats and UN officials.

But Rohingya leaders remain opposed to the move, while a UN agency official warned that any attempt at a forced relocation would be &quot;very complex and controversial&quot;.

The Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority, have faced decades of persecution in Myanmar where they are regarded as illegal immigrants, despite having lived there for generations.

Exhausted refugees in Cox&#39;s Bazar told AFP they did not want to move yet again.&nbsp;

&quot;I fled my village in Rakhine to escape murder at the hands of the Burmese,&quot; said Ayubur Rahman, a 26-year-old who fled Rakhine before the latest violence erupted.

&quot;I don&#39;t want to go to the island,&quot; he told AFP.

&quot;I would rather stay here.&quot;

More than 300,000 Rohingya have poured into Bangladesh, adding to around 300,000 refugees already living in overflowing UN-run camps

Thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled violence in Myanmar in search of refuge could be forced to make their new homes on a barren Bangladeshi island that floods every year. The Bangladesh government has appealed for international support to move the Rohingya to the island as the impoverished country confronts a growing crisis over where to house an influx that has mounted following a military crackdown in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar's Rakhine state. More than 300,000 Rohingya have poured into Bangladesh since the latest flare-up in violence on August 25, adding to around 300,000 refugees already living in overflowing UN-run camps in Cox's Bazar district, close to the border with Myanmar. The authorities first proposed settling Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char island in 2015 but the plan was apparently shelved last year amid reports that the silt island, which only emerged from the sea in 2006, was unhabitable due to regular tidal flooding × The surge has overwhelmed the Bangladesh authorities, who are scrambling to find land to build more camps, including on the inhospitable and uninhabited Thengar Char island -- recently renamed Bhasan Char -- despite reluctance on the part of Rohingya leaders and UN officials. Bhasan Char, located in the estuary of the Meghna river, is a one-hour boat ride from Sandwip, the nearest inhabited island, and two hours from Hatiya, one of Bangladesh's largest islands. The authorities first proposed settling Rohingya refugees there in 2015, as the camps in Cox's Bazar became overstretched with new arrivals. But the plan was apparently shelved last year amid reports that the silt island, which only emerged from the sea in 2006, was unhabitable due to regular tidal flooding. The government is trying to find new room for the Rohingya, including establishing a new 2,000-acre (800-hectare) camp near Cox's Bazar, close to the Myanmar border, which will house around 250,000 Rohingya. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was to visit the construction site on Tuesday. As the exodus swells, however, there are fears that may not be enough to accommodate all those in need of shelter. As a result, the Bangladesh government is speeding up work at Bhasan Char with a view to building a 10,000-acre facility that can house hundreds of thousands of Rohingya. But they face huge challenges. 'Complex and controversial' A police official in the region told AFP that the island, which is used sporadically by fishermen and farmers seeking to graze their animals, was susceptible to tidal flooding once or twice a year. "I think the island needs massive infrastructure before it gets habitable," the official said. The presence of the Bangladesh Navy, which is involved in developing the island, has deterred pirates who used to operate in the seas around Bhasan Char. "The Navy has already set up two helipads and are now building roads and a shed for their use", said Mahbub Alam Talkukder, a government administrator based in the region. Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H Mahmood Ali on Sunday appealed for international assistance to help transport the Rohingya to Bhashan Char during a meeting with diplomats and UN officials. But Rohingya leaders remain opposed to the move, while a UN agency official warned that any attempt at a forced relocation would be "very complex and controversial". The Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority, have faced decades of persecution in Myanmar where they are regarded as illegal immigrants, despite having lived there for generations. Exhausted refugees in Cox's Bazar told AFP they did not want to move yet again. "I fled my village in Rakhine to escape murder at the hands of the Burmese," said Ayubur Rahman, a 26-year-old who fled Rakhine before the latest violence erupted. "I don't want to go to the island," he told AFP. "I would rather stay here."

Bangladesh plans to move Rohingya to uninhabited island

The United Nations Security Council will hold an urgent meeting to discuss violence churning through western Myanmar, after the UN&#39;s rights chief warned that &quot;ethnic cleansing&quot; appeared to have driven over 300,000 Rohingya Muslims from the country.

Rakhine State was plunged into crisis after Rohingya militants attacked police posts in late August, prompting a military backlash that has sent nearly a third of the Muslim minority population fleeing to Bangladesh.

Exhausted Rohingya refugees have told stories of running from soldiers and Buddhist mobs who burned their villages to the ground and killed civilians indiscriminantly, while the government blames militants for the arson.

International pressure tightened on Myanmar&#39;s government Monday, as United Nations rights chief Zeid Ra&#39;ad Al Hussein said the violence seemed to be a &quot;textbook example of ethnic cleansing&quot;.

Hours after the warning, the Security Council announced it would meet Wednesday to discuss the crisis, which has heaped global opprobrium on Myanmar&#39;s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

A Nobel peace laureate, Suu Kyi is the focal point of anger from rights groups and a stream of fellow Nobel laureates for her failure to speak up for the Rohingya minority, who are denied citizenship and have suffered years of persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Late Monday the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which she heads, said Myanmar &quot;welcomes the statements issued by the United Nations and a number of countries firmly condemning the terrorist attacks,&quot; without referencing the UN&#39;s charge of ethnic cleansing.

The statement also defended the military&#39;s operations as part of their &quot;legitimate duty to restore stability&quot;, saying troops were under orders &quot;to exercise all due restraint, and to take full measures to avoid collateral damage.&quot;

Britain and Sweden requested the urgent UNSC meeting amid growing international concern over the ongoing violence.

UN diplomats have said China, one of Myanmar&#39;s top trade partners, has been resisting involvement by the top UN council in addressing the crisis.

The announcement came after the White House broke its silence on the clashes, saying it was &quot;deeply troubled&quot; by attacks by both sides, including the militant ambushes in Rakhine.

Blame game

The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has said the latest violence may have left more than 1,000 dead, most of them Rohingya.

Myanmar says the number of dead is around 430, the majority of them &quot;extremist terrorists&quot;.

It says a further 30,000 ethnic Rakhine and Hindus have been displaced inside northern Rakhine, where aid programs have been severely curtailed due to the violence.

The exodus of Rohingya, which so far tops 313,000 refugees, has saddled Bangladesh with its own humanitarian crisis, as aid workers scramble to provide food and shelter to a daily stream of bedraggled refugees.

The UN-run refugee camps in its Cox&#39;s Bazar district were already packed with Rohingya who had fled from previous waves of persecution.

Most of the new arrivals are in dire need of food, medical care and shelter after trekking for days through hills and jungles or braving dangerous boat journeys.

Dhaka is providing them temporary shelter.&nbsp;

But Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was due to visit a Rohingya camp on Tuesday, stressed it was up to Myanmar to &quot;resolve&quot; the issue.

&quot;Rohingyas are Myanmar&#39;s citizens. Now they are snatching their citizenship away in phases and forcing them out of the country,&quot; she told lawmakers on Monday night, according to local outlet bdnews24.com.

Earlier in the week Myanmar&#39;s army chief reiterated the stance of his powerful institution on the Rohingya question in a Facebook post, denying the group have ancestry inside Myanmar.

Although many Rohingya have lived in Rakhine for generations, the 1.1-million strong minority was stripped of its citizenship in 1982 by a law that did not recognise the group as an official ethnicity.

The Rohingya&#39;s failure to be &quot;scrutinised&quot; by this law is &quot;the root cause of the current problem,&quot; the army chief&#39;s post said.

&quot;The term &quot;Rohingya&quot; was not present in the country&#39;s history,&quot; the post added, a refrain often trotted out by ethnic Rakhine and Buddhist nationalists who insist on calling the Rohingya &quot;Bengalis&quot; -- or foreign interlopers.

Hatred of the Muslim minority has swelled in recent years, with Buddhist hardliners fanning fears of an Islamic takeover.&nbsp;

The latest violence has tweaked religious tensions across the country, with different ethnic groups trading allegations of who is behind the atrocities.

Dhaka, which has refused to permanently absorb the Rohingya, said it plans to build a huge new camp that will house a quarter of a million refugees.

But it remains unclear if or when they will be able to return.

Plumes of smoke continued to rise on the Myanmar side of the border this week despite the militants&#39; announcement on Sunday of a unilateral ceasefire.&nbsp;

There was no direct response from Myanmar&#39;s military, though government spokesman Zaw Htay tweeted: &quot;We have no policy to negotiate with terrorists.&quot;

Rakhine State was plunged into crisis after Rohingya militants attacked police posts in late August, prompting a military backlash that has sent nearly a third of the Muslim minority population fleeing to Bangladesh.

The United Nations Security Council will hold an urgent meeting to discuss violence churning through western Myanmar, after the UN's rights chief warned that "ethnic cleansing" appeared to have driven over 300,000 Rohingya Muslims from the country. Rakhine State was plunged into crisis after Rohingya militants attacked police posts in late August, prompting a military backlash that has sent nearly a third of the Muslim minority population fleeing to Bangladesh. Exhausted Rohingya refugees have told stories of running from soldiers and Buddhist mobs who burned their villages to the ground and killed civilians indiscriminantly, while the government blames militants for the arson. International pressure tightened on Myanmar's government Monday, as United Nations rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said the violence seemed to be a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing". Hours after the warning, the Security Council announced it would meet Wednesday to discuss the crisis, which has heaped global opprobrium on Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A Nobel peace laureate, Suu Kyi is the focal point of anger from rights groups and a stream of fellow Nobel laureates for her failure to speak up for the Rohingya minority, who are denied citizenship and have suffered years of persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Late Monday the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which she heads, said Myanmar "welcomes the statements issued by the United Nations and a number of countries firmly condemning the terrorist attacks," without referencing the UN's charge of ethnic cleansing. The statement also defended the military's operations as part of their "legitimate duty to restore stability", saying troops were under orders "to exercise all due restraint, and to take full measures to avoid collateral damage." Britain and Sweden requested the urgent UNSC meeting amid growing international concern over the ongoing violence. UN diplomats have said China, one of Myanmar's top trade partners, has been resisting involvement by the top UN council in addressing the crisis. The announcement came after the White House broke its silence on the clashes, saying it was "deeply troubled" by attacks by both sides, including the militant ambushes in Rakhine. Blame game The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has said the latest violence may have left more than 1,000 dead, most of them Rohingya. Myanmar says the number of dead is around 430, the majority of them "extremist terrorists". It says a further 30,000 ethnic Rakhine and Hindus have been displaced inside northern Rakhine, where aid programs have been severely curtailed due to the violence. The exodus of Rohingya, which so far tops 313,000 refugees, has saddled Bangladesh with its own humanitarian crisis, as aid workers scramble to provide food and shelter to a daily stream of bedraggled refugees. The UN-run refugee camps in its Cox's Bazar district were already packed with Rohingya who had fled from previous waves of persecution. Most of the new arrivals are in dire need of food, medical care and shelter after trekking for days through hills and jungles or braving dangerous boat journeys. Dhaka is providing them temporary shelter. But Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was due to visit a Rohingya camp on Tuesday, stressed it was up to Myanmar to "resolve" the issue. "Rohingyas are Myanmar's citizens. Now they are snatching their citizenship away in phases and forcing them out of the country," she told lawmakers on Monday night, according to local outlet bdnews24.com. Earlier in the week Myanmar's army chief reiterated the stance of his powerful institution on the Rohingya question in a Facebook post, denying the group have ancestry inside Myanmar. Although many Rohingya have lived in Rakhine for generations, the 1.1-million strong minority was stripped of its citizenship in 1982 by a law that did not recognise the group as an official ethnicity. The Rohingya's failure to be "scrutinised" by this law is "the root cause of the current problem," the army chief's post said. "The term "Rohingya" was not present in the country's history," the post added, a refrain often trotted out by ethnic Rakhine and Buddhist nationalists who insist on calling the Rohingya "Bengalis" -- or foreign interlopers. Hatred of the Muslim minority has swelled in recent years, with Buddhist hardliners fanning fears of an Islamic takeover. The latest violence has tweaked religious tensions across the country, with different ethnic groups trading allegations of who is behind the atrocities. Dhaka, which has refused to permanently absorb the Rohingya, said it plans to build a huge new camp that will house a quarter of a million refugees. But it remains unclear if or when they will be able to return. Plumes of smoke continued to rise on the Myanmar side of the border this week despite the militants' announcement on Sunday of a unilateral ceasefire. There was no direct response from Myanmar's military, though government spokesman Zaw Htay tweeted: "We have no policy to negotiate with terrorists."

UN to discuss Myanmar after Rohingya 'ethnic cleansing' claim

Recent weeks have seen an <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/09/who-are-the-rohingya-and-why-are-they-fleeing-myanmar/">escalation of violence against the Rohingya</a> in Rakhine, the poorest state of Myanmar. A tide of displaced people are seeking refuge from atrocities &ndash; they are fleeing both on foot and by boat to Bangladesh. It is <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-must-act-to-end-the-violence-against-rohingya-in-myanmar-83645">the latest surge of displaced people</a> and is exacerbated by the recent activity of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

Religious and ethnic differences have been widely considered the leading cause of the persecution. But it is becoming increasingly hard to believe that there are no other factors at play. Especially given that Myanmar is home to <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/03/myanmar-major-ethnic-groups-live-170309143208539.html">135 official recognised ethnic groups</a> (the Rohingya were removed from this list in 1982).

In analysing the recent violence, much of the western media has focused on the role of the military and the figure of the de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Her status as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/08/desmond-tutu-condemns-aung-san-suu-kyi-price-of-your-silence-is-too-steep?CMP=soc_567">widely questioned</a> since the latest evidence of atrocities emerged.

She continues to <a href="https://theintercept.com/2017/04/13/burmese-nobel-prize-winner-aung-san-suu-kyi-has-turned-into-an-apologist-for-genocide-against-muslims/">avoid condemning</a> the systematic violence against the Rohingya. At least the media gaze has finally shifted somewhat towards <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/sep/04/the-guardian-view-on-the-slaughter-in-myanmar-a-against-humanity?CMP=fb_gu">their plight</a>.

But there remain issues that are not being explored. It is also critical to look beyond religious and ethnic differences towards other root causes of persecution, vulnerability, and displacement.

We must consider vested political and economic interests as contributing factors to forced displacement in Myanmar, not just of the Rohingya people but of other minorities such as the Kachin, the Shan, the Karen, the Chin, and the Mon.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/185357/width754/file-20170910-12546-g93x37.JPG" />
<figcaption>
Major ethnic groups in Myanmar. Al Jazeera
</figcaption>
</figure>

Land grabbing

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jan/04/is-rohingya-persecution-caused-by-business-interests-rather-than-religion">Land grabbing and confiscation</a> in Myanmar is widespread. It is not a new phenomenon.

Since the 1990s, military juntas have been <a href="https://www.globalpolicy.org/social-and-economic-policy/world-hunger/land-ownership-and-hunger/52166-commission-will-report-over-300-land-grabs-to-myanmar-mps-.html">taking away the land of smallholders</a> across the country, without any compensation and regardless of ethnicity or religious status.

The land has often been acquired for &ldquo;<a href="http://www.ashleysouth.co.uk/files/COHRE_November_2007.pdf">development</a>&rdquo; projects, including military base expansions, natural resource exploitation, and extraction, large agriculture projects, infrastructure, and tourism. For example, in Kachin state, the military confiscated more than 500 acres of villagers&rsquo; land to support extensive gold mining.

Development has forcibly <a href="http://saskiasassen.com/PDFs/publications/SS%20Massive%20Loss%20Habitat.pdf">displaced thousands of people</a> - both internally and across borders with Bangladesh, India, and Thailand - or compelled them to set out by sea to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia.

In 2011, Myanmar instituted economic and political reforms that led it to be dubbed &ldquo;<a href="http://thediplomat.com/2016/11/myanmars-opening-doing-business-in-asias-final-frontier/">Asia&rsquo;s final frontier</a>&rdquo; as it opened up to foreign investment. Shortly afterward, in 2012, violent attacks escalated against the <a href="http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/2613925/upload_binary/2613925.pdf;fileType=application/pdf">Rohingya in Rakhine state and, to a lesser extent, against the Muslim Karen</a>. Meanwhile, the government of Myanmar established several laws relating to the management and distribution of farmland.

These moves were <a href="https://library.ecc-platform.org/conflicts/land-grabbing-myanmar">severely criticised</a> for reinforcing the ability of large corporations to profit from land grabs. For instance, agribusiness multinationals such as POSCO Daewoo have <a href="https://www.farmlandgrab.org/post/view/26876-posco-daewoo-launches-agribusiness-in-myanmar">eagerly entered the market</a>, contracted by the government.

A regional prize

Myanmar is positioned between countries that have long eyed its resources, such as China and India. Since the 1990s, <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/between-china-and-myanmar-the-battleground-region-of-northeastern-myanmar-faces-an-uncertain-future/">Chinese companies have exploited</a> timber, rivers, and minerals in Shan State in the North.

This led to violent armed conflicts between the military regime and armed groups, including the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and its ethnic allies in eastern Kachin State and northern Shan State.

In Rakhine State, <a href="https://www.sisp.it/files/papers/2013/andrea-passeri-1531.pdf">Chinese</a> and <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2016/09/the-trouble-with-indias-projects-in-myanmar/">Indian</a> interests are part of broader China-India relations. These interests revolve principally around the construction of infrastructure and pipelines in the region. Such projects claim to guarantee employment, transit fees and oil and gas revenues for the whole of Myanmar.

Among numerous development projects, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericrmeyer/2015/02/09/oil-and-gas-china-takes-a-shortcut/#566f99c07aff">a transnational pipeline</a> built by China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) connecting Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, to Kunming, China, began operations in September 2013. The wider efforts to take Myanmar oil and gas from the Shwe gas field to Guangzhou, China, <a href="https://ejatlas.org/conflict/shwe-gas-field-and-pipeline">are well documented</a>.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/185352/width754/file-20170910-3138-1l370ec.jpg" />
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Pipeline from the Shwe gas field to China. The Shwe Gas Movement
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A parallel pipeline is also <a href="http://archive-3.mizzima.com/business/natural-resources/item/16206-kyaukpyu-deep-sea-port-ready-to-send-oil-to-china/16206-kyaukpyu-deep-sea-port-ready-to-send-oil-to-china">expected to send Middle East oil</a> from the Kyaukphyu port to China. However, the neutral Advisory Commission on Rakhine State <a href="http://www.rakhinecommission.org/statement-kofi-annan-chair-advisory-commission-rakhine-state-interim-report/">has urged</a> the Myanmar government to carry out a comprehensive impact assessment.

In fact, the Commission <a href="http://www.rakhinecommission.org/app/uploads/2017/08/FinalReport_Eng.pdf">recognises</a> that pipelines put local communities at risk. There is significant local tension related to land seizures, insufficient compensation for damages, environmental degradation, and an influx of foreign workers rather than increased local employment opportunities.

Meanwhile, the Sittwe deep-sea port was <a href="http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2017/03/31/are-indias-plans-in-myanmar-a-pipeline-or-a-pipe-dream/">financed and constructed</a> by India as part of the Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project. The aim is to connect the northeast Mizoram state in India with the Bay of Bengal.

Coastal areas of Rakhine State are clearly of strategic importance to both India and China. The government of Myanmar, therefore, has vested interests in clearing land to prepare for further development and to boost its <a href="https://www.adb.org/countries/myanmar/economy">already rapid economic growth</a>.

All of this takes place within the wider context of <a href="https://nsnbc.me/2012/09/08/myanmar-gas-and-the-soros-funded-explosion-of-a-nation-state/">geopolitical maneuvering</a>. The role of Bangladesh in fuelling ethnic tensions is also hotly contested. In such power struggles, the human cost is terribly high.

Compounding the vulnerability of minorities

In Myanmar, the groups that fall victim to land grabbing have often started in an extremely vulnerable state and are left even worse off. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/world-must-act-to-end-the-violence-against-rohingya-in-myanmar-83645?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=twitterbutton">treatment</a> of the Rohingya in Rakhine State is the highest profile example of broader expulsion that is inflicted on minorities.

When a group is marginalised and oppressed it is difficult to reduce their vulnerability and protect their rights, including their property. In the case of the Rohingya, their ability to protect their homes was decimated through the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/nov/03/myanmar-casts-minorities-to-margins-citizenship-law-denies-legal-identity">revocation of their Burmese citizenship</a>.

<figure class="align-center "><img alt="" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/files/185329/width754/file-20170909-32284-lofmnv.jpg" />
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Rohingya settlement near Sittwe.Thomas Johnson
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Since the late 1970s <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/03/persecution-path-myanmar-fleeing-rohingya-170314125333337.html">around a million Rohingya have fled</a> Myanmar to escape persecution. Tragically, they are often marginalised in their host countries.

With no country willing to take responsibility for them, they are either forced or encouraged to continuously cross borders. The techniques used to encourage this movement have trapped the Rohingya in a vulnerable state.

The tragedy of the Rohingya is part of a bigger picture which sees the oppression and displacement of minorities across Myanmar and into neighboring countries.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/83726/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />The relevance and complexity of religious and ethnic issues in Myanmar are undeniable. But we cannot ignore the political and economic context and the root causes of displacement that often go undetected.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/religion-is-not-the-only-reason-rohingyas-are-being-forced-out-of-myanmar-83726">original article</a>.

The tragedy of the Rohingya is part of a bigger picture which sees the oppression and displacement of minorities across Myanmar and into neighboring countries.

Recent weeks have seen an escalation of violence against the Rohingya in Rakhine, the poorest state of Myanmar. A tide of displaced people are seeking refuge from atrocities – they are fleeing both on foot and by boat to Bangladesh. It is the latest surge of displaced people and is exacerbated by the recent activity of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). Religious and ethnic differences have been widely considered the leading cause of the persecution. But it is becoming increasingly hard to believe that there are no other factors at play. Especially given that Myanmar is home to 135 official recognised ethnic groups (the Rohingya were removed from this list in 1982). In analysing the recent violence, much of the western media has focused on the role of the military and the figure of the de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Her status as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been widely questioned since the latest evidence of atrocities emerged. She continues to avoid condemning the systematic violence against the Rohingya. At least the media gaze has finally shifted somewhat towards their plight. But there remain issues that are not being explored. It is also critical to look beyond religious and ethnic differences towards other root causes of persecution, vulnerability, and displacement. We must consider vested political and economic interests as contributing factors to forced displacement in Myanmar, not just of the Rohingya people but of other minorities such as the Kachin, the Shan, the Karen, the Chin, and the Mon. Major ethnic groups in Myanmar. Al Jazeera Land grabbing Land grabbing and confiscation in Myanmar is widespread. It is not a new phenomenon. Since the 1990s, military juntas have been taking away the land of smallholders across the country, without any compensation and regardless of ethnicity or religious status. The land has often been acquired for “development” projects, including military base expansions, natural resource exploitation, and extraction, large agriculture projects, infrastructure, and tourism. For example, in Kachin state, the military confiscated more than 500 acres of villagers’ land to support extensive gold mining. Development has forcibly displaced thousands of people - both internally and across borders with Bangladesh, India, and Thailand - or compelled them to set out by sea to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia. In 2011, Myanmar instituted economic and political reforms that led it to be dubbed “Asia’s final frontier” as it opened up to foreign investment. Shortly afterward, in 2012, violent attacks escalated against the Rohingya in Rakhine state and, to a lesser extent, against the Muslim Karen. Meanwhile, the government of Myanmar established several laws relating to the management and distribution of farmland. These moves were severely criticised for reinforcing the ability of large corporations to profit from land grabs. For instance, agribusiness multinationals such as POSCO Daewoo have eagerly entered the market, contracted by the government. A regional prize Myanmar is positioned between countries that have long eyed its resources, such as China and India. Since the 1990s, Chinese companies have exploited timber, rivers, and minerals in Shan State in the North. This led to violent armed conflicts between the military regime and armed groups, including the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and its ethnic allies in eastern Kachin State and northern Shan State. In Rakhine State, Chinese and Indian interests are part of broader China-India relations. These interests revolve principally around the construction of infrastructure and pipelines in the region. Such projects claim to guarantee employment, transit fees and oil and gas revenues for the whole of Myanmar. Among numerous development projects, a transnational pipeline built by China National Petroleum Company (CNPC) connecting Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, to Kunming, China, began operations in September 2013. The wider efforts to take Myanmar oil and gas from the Shwe gas field to Guangzhou, China, are well documented. Pipeline from the Shwe gas field to China. The Shwe Gas Movement A parallel pipeline is also expected to send Middle East oil from the Kyaukphyu port to China. However, the neutral Advisory Commission on Rakhine State has urged the Myanmar government to carry out a comprehensive impact assessment. In fact, the Commission recognises that pipelines put local communities at risk. There is significant local tension related to land seizures, insufficient compensation for damages, environmental degradation, and an influx of foreign workers rather than increased local employment opportunities. Meanwhile, the Sittwe deep-sea port was financed and constructed by India as part of the Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project. The aim is to connect the northeast Mizoram state in India with the Bay of Bengal. Coastal areas of Rakhine State are clearly of strategic importance to both India and China. The government of Myanmar, therefore, has vested interests in clearing land to prepare for further development and to boost its already rapid economic growth. All of this takes place within the wider context of geopolitical maneuvering. The role of Bangladesh in fuelling ethnic tensions is also hotly contested. In such power struggles, the human cost is terribly high. Compounding the vulnerability of minorities In Myanmar, the groups that fall victim to land grabbing have often started in an extremely vulnerable state and are left even worse off. The treatment of the Rohingya in Rakhine State is the highest profile example of broader expulsion that is inflicted on minorities. When a group is marginalised and oppressed it is difficult to reduce their vulnerability and protect their rights, including their property. In the case of the Rohingya, their ability to protect their homes was decimated through the revocation of their Burmese citizenship. Rohingya settlement near Sittwe.Thomas Johnson Since the late 1970s around a million Rohingya have fled Myanmar to escape persecution. Tragically, they are often marginalised in their host countries. With no country willing to take responsibility for them, they are either forced or encouraged to continuously cross borders. The techniques used to encourage this movement have trapped the Rohingya in a vulnerable state. The tragedy of the Rohingya is part of a bigger picture which sees the oppression and displacement of minorities across Myanmar and into neighboring countries. The relevance and complexity of religious and ethnic issues in Myanmar are undeniable. But we cannot ignore the political and economic context and the root causes of displacement that often go undetected. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Are Rohingyas being forced out of Myanmar because they are Muslims?

As the Rohingya crisis burns through Rakhine state, it&#39;s interesting to note that in September 2014, the government granted citizenship to 209 Muslims, who included members of the Kaman minority (Muslims saw as native to the country) and the Rohingya. The process of giving them citizenship marked the culmination of a project aimed at determining the identity of a little over one million Rohingya whose claims to nationality had been rejected in the past.&nbsp;

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<h5>Each of the green cards bore an identification number, the name of the holder, gender, date of birth, marital status and other details in Burmese and English.</h5>
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Even more interesting, this was done when Myanmar was under Thein Sein, an ex-general who ran a nominally civilian government. In fact, the very next year, &quot;green cards&quot; were issued to Rohingya Muslims in 13 townships in Rakhine state. Immigration officials said the cards were intended to help those who wanted to apply for citizenship. Each of the green cards bore an identification number, the name of the holder, gender, date of birth, marital status and other details in Burmese and English. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Around 700,000 of these cards were distributed to those who held &quot;white cards&quot;, which were temporary identification cards. The white cards had been issued by the former military junta for the 2010 elections (which saw Thein Sein&#39;s nominally civilian government come to power). &nbsp;An army-backed party won seats in areas where a sizeable number of white card holders were living.&nbsp;

So, despite the past history of violence, there was a sense within the government that Myanmar needed to be fair to the Rohingya (although they still referred to them as Bengali Muslims, meaning they were illegal Bangladeshi immigrants).&nbsp;

While the tensions between the majority Buddhists in Rakhine state and the minority Rohingya are of long-standing, the question is whether the spike in violence against the Rohingya and their massive exodus to Bangladesh can be traced to the new climate of freedom. &nbsp;

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<h5>A former Indian ambassador to Myanmar suspects there could be elements of the military involved in stoking violence against the Rohingya to destabilise the civilian government and smear Aung San Suu Kyi personally.</h5>
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A former Indian ambassador to Myanmar suspects there could be elements of the military involved in stoking violence against the Rohingya to destabilise the civilian government and smear Aung San Suu Kyi personally. There&#39;s no doubt her government has moved slowly to address the status of the Rohingya, who were not allowed to vote in the 2016 election. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

A peace conference in August last year to which all the ethnic groups were invited, saw no Rohingya presence. To her credit, Suu Kyi did set up the Kofi Annan panel to review tensions in Rakhine state and offer recommendations. Word is she told them to &quot;be bold&quot;. The panel has made its recommendations, the doubts are about implementation.&nbsp;

Is the Rohingya a high priority for the government as it figures out how to keep the military in good humour and tackle multiple insurgencies. A ceasefire agreement signed in October 2015 had only some of the ethnic insurgents on board, the United Wa State Army and the Kachin Independence Army remain on the warpath. Add to that the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army which is reported to have joined hands with the two groups already mentioned to attack the army. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

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Any move by Suu Kyi to give justice to the Rohingya will also need to take into account the fact that there is little sympathy for that community among the public. Suu Kyi&#39;s intentions may be good but she is a prisoner of the compromises she has to make as a politician if she is to survive.&nbsp;

Suu Kyi is a prisoner of the compromises she has to make as a politician if she is to survive.?

As the Rohingya crisis burns through Rakhine state, it's interesting to note that in September 2014, the government granted citizenship to 209 Muslims, who included members of the Kaman minority (Muslims saw as native to the country) and the Rohingya. The process of giving them citizenship marked the culmination of a project aimed at determining the identity of a little over one million Rohingya whose claims to nationality had been rejected in the past. Each of the green cards bore an identification number, the name of the holder, gender, date of birth, marital status and other details in Burmese and English. × Even more interesting, this was done when Myanmar was under Thein Sein, an ex-general who ran a nominally civilian government. In fact, the very next year, "green cards" were issued to Rohingya Muslims in 13 townships in Rakhine state. Immigration officials said the cards were intended to help those who wanted to apply for citizenship. Each of the green cards bore an identification number, the name of the holder, gender, date of birth, marital status and other details in Burmese and English. Around 700,000 of these cards were distributed to those who held "white cards", which were temporary identification cards. The white cards had been issued by the former military junta for the 2010 elections (which saw Thein Sein's nominally civilian government come to power). An army-backed party won seats in areas where a sizeable number of white card holders were living. So, despite the past history of violence, there was a sense within the government that Myanmar needed to be fair to the Rohingya (although they still referred to them as Bengali Muslims, meaning they were illegal Bangladeshi immigrants). While the tensions between the majority Buddhists in Rakhine state and the minority Rohingya are of long-standing, the question is whether the spike in violence against the Rohingya and their massive exodus to Bangladesh can be traced to the new climate of freedom. A former Indian ambassador to Myanmar suspects there could be elements of the military involved in stoking violence against the Rohingya to destabilise the civilian government and smear Aung San Suu Kyi personally. × A former Indian ambassador to Myanmar suspects there could be elements of the military involved in stoking violence against the Rohingya to destabilise the civilian government and smear Aung San Suu Kyi personally. There's no doubt her government has moved slowly to address the status of the Rohingya, who were not allowed to vote in the 2016 election. A peace conference in August last year to which all the ethnic groups were invited, saw no Rohingya presence. To her credit, Suu Kyi did set up the Kofi Annan panel to review tensions in Rakhine state and offer recommendations. Word is she told them to "be bold". The panel has made its recommendations, the doubts are about implementation. Is the Rohingya a high priority for the government as it figures out how to keep the military in good humour and tackle multiple insurgencies. A ceasefire agreement signed in October 2015 had only some of the ethnic insurgents on board, the United Wa State Army and the Kachin Independence Army remain on the warpath. Add to that the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army which is reported to have joined hands with the two groups already mentioned to attack the army. Suu Kyi's intentions may be good but she is a prisoner of the compromises she has to make as a politician if she is to survive. × Any move by Suu Kyi to give justice to the Rohingya will also need to take into account the fact that there is little sympathy for that community among the public. Suu Kyi's intentions may be good but she is a prisoner of the compromises she has to make as a politician if she is to survive.

Why Aung San Suu Kyi is silent on the Rohingyas

A plea to identify and deport Rohingya refugees in India was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday by the Chennai-based trust Indic Collective.

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A plea has been filed in Supreme Court seeking identification and deportation of Rohingya Muslim refugees
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The plea claims that &quot;accommodating Rohingyas in India is equivalent to inviting wretchedness, turbulence, and disturbance on Indian soil.&quot;

The plea comes at a time when a petition filed by two Rohingya refugees seeking a stay on the expulsion of the Rohingyas has been taken up by the top court.&nbsp;

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Indic Collective has filed an intervention petition in Sri Prashant Bhushan&#39;s writ petition.
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The plea to deport Rohingyas describes the refugee community as &quot;a face of Islamic terror&quot;.

It also claims that their settlement is a social, economic and security threat to India.&nbsp;

&quot;Around 40,000 Rohingyas residing in India as illegal immigrants pose a serious threat not only to national security but also to peacefully living Indian citizens,&quot; the plea says.

The plea acknowledges the plight of the Rohingya refugees, terming it a &quot;humanitarian disaster&quot;, but says &quot;India cannot solve this crisis by importing and welcoming it.&quot;

The plea comes at a time when a petition seeking a stay on the expulsion of the Rohingyas from India has been taken up by the top court

A plea to identify and deport Rohingya refugees in India was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday by the Chennai-based trust Indic Collective. A plea has been filed in Supreme Court seeking identification and deportation of Rohingya Muslim refugees — ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2017 × The plea claims that "accommodating Rohingyas in India is equivalent to inviting wretchedness, turbulence, and disturbance on Indian soil." The plea comes at a time when a petition filed by two Rohingya refugees seeking a stay on the expulsion of the Rohingyas has been taken up by the top court. Indic Collective has filed an intervention petition in Sri Prashant Bhushan's writ petition. — Indic Collective (@indiccollective) September 6, 2017 × The plea to deport Rohingyas describes the refugee community as "a face of Islamic terror". It also claims that their settlement is a social, economic and security threat to India. "Around 40,000 Rohingyas residing in India as illegal immigrants pose a serious threat not only to national security but also to peacefully living Indian citizens," the plea says. The plea acknowledges the plight of the Rohingya refugees, terming it a "humanitarian disaster", but says "India cannot solve this crisis by importing and welcoming it."

Plea filed in Supreme Court seeking immediate deportation of Rohingyas

Turkey&#39;s foreign minister will travel to Bangladesh to hold meetings about the fighting in northwestern Myanmar, sources from the ministry said on Tuesday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/ahead-of-modis-visit-to-myanmar-aung-san-suu-kyi-under-pressure-to-end-rohingya-crisis-19884">Myanmar has come under pressure from countries with large Muslim populations</a> to stop violence against Rohingya Muslims after at least 400 people were killed and nearly 125,000 fled to Bangladesh in the deadliest bout of violence targeting the minority group in decades.

Mevlut Cavusoglu will travel to Bangladesh from Baku on Wednesday evening, the sources said. President Tayyip Erdogan has said the death of Rohingya Muslims constituted a genocide.

Myanmar has come under pressure from countries with large Muslim populations

Turkey's foreign minister will travel to Bangladesh to hold meetings about the fighting in northwestern Myanmar, sources from the ministry said on Tuesday. Myanmar has come under pressure from countries with large Muslim populations to stop violence against Rohingya Muslims after at least 400 people were killed and nearly 125,000 fled to Bangladesh in the deadliest bout of violence targeting the minority group in decades. Mevlut Cavusoglu will travel to Bangladesh from Baku on Wednesday evening, the sources said. President Tayyip Erdogan has said the death of Rohingya Muslims constituted a genocide.

Turkish foreign minister to visit Bangladesh to discuss Myanmar issue: Sources

Five Rohingya villagers whose distraught relatives say they were shot dead by the Myanmar military were buried&nbsp;Thursday&nbsp;in Bangladesh at a mass funeral attended by hundreds of people after their bodies were carried across the border.

The relatives said the victims had been killed by the Myanmar military&nbsp;on Wednesday, a claim that could not be independently confirmed but tallies with multiple accounts of killings in Rohingya villages.

Their bodies were brought across the Naf river on a boat, landing on a remote stretch where thousands of Rohingya refugees have been streaming into Bangladesh over the last fortnight.

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Sufia Begum, an elderly Rohingya woman aboard, said she had relatives among the dead.

&quot;They were all killed,&quot; she wept, pointing to a lifeless man covered in plastic sheeting and another corpse wrapped in cloth.

They were buried&nbsp;on Thursday&nbsp;in a Muslim graveyard along with a sixth man who died of unknown causes.

One victim, identified by survivors as the imam of their village mosque in Myanmar, had sustained a gunshot wound to the head.&nbsp;

&quot;Five of them had bullet wounds,&quot; Chailau Marma, deputy police chief of Cox&#39;s Bazar, which borders Myanmar, told AFP.

&quot;Relatives of the deceased carried the bodies into Bangladesh after they failed to bury them in Myanmar. They all died yesterday.&quot;

Myanmar&#39;s more than one million Rohingya are denied citizenship and face severe restrictions in the majority Buddhist country, which has come under increased criticism over its apartheid-like treatment of the Muslim minority.

UN investigators have said a military crackdown that followed ambushes by Rohingya militants in October last year has unleashed &quot;devastating cruelty&quot; on civilians which may amount to ethnic cleansing.

On Thursday&nbsp;the UN said 164,000 refugees have now crossed into Bangladesh in the last fortnight to escape fighting between militants and Myanmar&#39;s military.

The fighting is the fiercest Myanmar&#39;s western Rakhine state has witnessed in years.&nbsp;

Columns of Rohingya civilians arrived steadily throughout&nbsp;Wednesday&nbsp;from the jungles along the border, carrying infants, chickens and their belongings bundled in sacks.

Long queues formed to cross a collapsed bridge over a marshy river, with elderly civilians with canes and infants being carried across the impasse.

Many have brought allegations of homes being torched and villagers shot and hacked to death by Myanmar troops.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/rohingya-crisis-has-myanmar-planted-landmines-along-its-bangladesh-border-19941" target="_blank">Also read: Rohingya crisis: Has Myanmar planted landmines along its Bangladesh border?</a>

Myanmar&#39;s government, led by Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has rejected allegations of atrocities, accusing the international media, NGOs and the UN of fabrications.

Marium Begum, who crossed by a river into Bangladesh&nbsp;on Wednesday, said soldiers had opened fire as she and her family tried to flee their village.

&quot;They shot over our heads. We submerged ourselves underwater. &nbsp;The children swallowed a lot of water,&quot; she told AFP.

&quot;There were many of them. They had long machetes.&quot;

Bangladesh border guards also allowed a Rohingya couple to be buried in Bangladesh after they were shot dead and the wife gang-raped when they went back into Myanmar to retrieve their belongings, commander Manzurul Hasan Khan, told AFP.

Five Rohingya villagers whose distraught relatives say they were shot dead by the Myanmar military were buried?Thursday?in Bangladesh

Five Rohingya villagers whose distraught relatives say they were shot dead by the Myanmar military were buried Thursday in Bangladesh at a mass funeral attended by hundreds of people after their bodies were carried across the border. The relatives said the victims had been killed by the Myanmar military on Wednesday, a claim that could not be independently confirmed but tallies with multiple accounts of killings in Rohingya villages. Their bodies were brought across the Naf river on a boat, landing on a remote stretch where thousands of Rohingya refugees have been streaming into Bangladesh over the last fortnight. They were all killed, an elderly Rohingya woman wept, pointing to a lifeless man covered in plastic sheeting and another corpse wrapped in cloth × Sufia Begum, an elderly Rohingya woman aboard, said she had relatives among the dead. "They were all killed," she wept, pointing to a lifeless man covered in plastic sheeting and another corpse wrapped in cloth. They were buried on Thursday in a Muslim graveyard along with a sixth man who died of unknown causes. One victim, identified by survivors as the imam of their village mosque in Myanmar, had sustained a gunshot wound to the head. "Five of them had bullet wounds," Chailau Marma, deputy police chief of Cox's Bazar, which borders Myanmar, told AFP. "Relatives of the deceased carried the bodies into Bangladesh after they failed to bury them in Myanmar. They all died yesterday." Myanmar's more than one million Rohingya are denied citizenship and face severe restrictions in the majority Buddhist country, which has come under increased criticism over its apartheid-like treatment of the Muslim minority. UN investigators have said a military crackdown that followed ambushes by Rohingya militants in October last year has unleashed "devastating cruelty" on civilians which may amount to ethnic cleansing. On Thursday the UN said 164,000 refugees have now crossed into Bangladesh in the last fortnight to escape fighting between militants and Myanmar's military. The fighting is the fiercest Myanmar's western Rakhine state has witnessed in years. Columns of Rohingya civilians arrived steadily throughout Wednesday from the jungles along the border, carrying infants, chickens and their belongings bundled in sacks. Long queues formed to cross a collapsed bridge over a marshy river, with elderly civilians with canes and infants being carried across the impasse. Many have brought allegations of homes being torched and villagers shot and hacked to death by Myanmar troops. Also read: Rohingya crisis: Has Myanmar planted landmines along its Bangladesh border? Myanmar's government, led by Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has rejected allegations of atrocities, accusing the international media, NGOs and the UN of fabrications. Marium Begum, who crossed by a river into Bangladesh on Wednesday, said soldiers had opened fire as she and her family tried to flee their village. "They shot over our heads. We submerged ourselves underwater. The children swallowed a lot of water," she told AFP. "There were many of them. They had long machetes." Bangladesh border guards also allowed a Rohingya couple to be buried in Bangladesh after they were shot dead and the wife gang-raped when they went back into Myanmar to retrieve their belongings, commander Manzurul Hasan Khan, told AFP.

Bangladesh buries Rohingya shot dead in Myanmar

Thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for the Nobel committee to revoke Aung San Suu Kyi&#39;s peace prize over the Myanmar government&#39;s treatment of its Rohingya Muslims.

But the Norwegian Nobel committee has ruled out any such move, saying only that the work which led to the awarding of the prize was taken into account.

The Change.Org petition has gathered over 365,000 signatures as of today, reflecting growing outrage over a massive security sweep in Rakhine state by Myanmar forces after a series of deadly ambushes by Rohingya militants.

&quot;The de facto ruler of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi has done virtually nothing to stop this crime against humanity in her country,&quot; the petition says.

Suu Kyi was awarded the prize in 1991, while under house arrest at the hands of Myanmar&#39;s military junta, from which she was released in 2010. She then went on to lead her party through the country&#39;s first credible elections since independence.

But her government has faced international condemnation for the army&#39;s response to the crisis as refugees arrive in Bangladesh with stories of murder, rape and burned villages at the hands of soldiers.

The United Nations said today that about 164,000 mostly Rohingya refugees have escaped to Bangladesh in the past two weeks, meaning more than a quarter of a million have fled since fighting broke out in October.

Suu Kyi lashed out this week at what she called &quot;a huge iceberg of misinformation&quot; over the crisis, &quot;with the aim of promoting the interest of the terrorists&quot;.

In Oslo, Olav Njolstad, head of the Nobel Institute, said it was impossible to strip a Nobel laureate of an award once it has been bestowed.

&quot;Neither Alfred Nobel&#39;s will nor the statutes of the Nobel Foundation provide for the possibility that a Nobel Prize -- whether for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature or peace -- can be revoked,&quot; he told AFP.

&quot;Only the efforts made by a laureate before the attribution of a prize are evaluated by the Nobel committee,&quot; he said, and not any subsequent actions.&nbsp;

The Norwegian Nobel committee has ruled out any such move, saying only that the work which led to the awarding of the prize was taken into account

Thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for the Nobel committee to revoke Aung San Suu Kyi's peace prize over the Myanmar government's treatment of its Rohingya Muslims. But the Norwegian Nobel committee has ruled out any such move, saying only that the work which led to the awarding of the prize was taken into account. The Change.Org petition has gathered over 365,000 signatures as of today, reflecting growing outrage over a massive security sweep in Rakhine state by Myanmar forces after a series of deadly ambushes by Rohingya militants. "The de facto ruler of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi has done virtually nothing to stop this crime against humanity in her country," the petition says. Suu Kyi was awarded the prize in 1991, while under house arrest at the hands of Myanmar's military junta, from which she was released in 2010. She then went on to lead her party through the country's first credible elections since independence. But her government has faced international condemnation for the army's response to the crisis as refugees arrive in Bangladesh with stories of murder, rape and burned villages at the hands of soldiers. The United Nations said today that about 164,000 mostly Rohingya refugees have escaped to Bangladesh in the past two weeks, meaning more than a quarter of a million have fled since fighting broke out in October. Suu Kyi lashed out this week at what she called "a huge iceberg of misinformation" over the crisis, "with the aim of promoting the interest of the terrorists". In Oslo, Olav Njolstad, head of the Nobel Institute, said it was impossible to strip a Nobel laureate of an award once it has been bestowed. "Neither Alfred Nobel's will nor the statutes of the Nobel Foundation provide for the possibility that a Nobel Prize -- whether for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature or peace -- can be revoked," he told AFP. "Only the efforts made by a laureate before the attribution of a prize are evaluated by the Nobel committee," he said, and not any subsequent actions.

Petition seeks to revoke Suu Kyi's Nobel over Rohingya crisis

India has offered &quot;in-principle commitment&quot;&nbsp;to develop Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state which has been hit by violence with thousands of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/all-you-need-to-know-about-rohingyas-and-the-ongoing-crisis-19912">Rohingyas fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh</a>.

PM Modi who is on a two-day visit to Myanmar met Nobel laureate and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/myanmars-suu-kyi-under-pressure-as-almost-125000-rohingya-flee-violence-19909">Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi in Nay Pyi Taw</a> on Wednesday and expressed concern over violence in Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/live-update-pm-modi-meets-aung-san-suu-kyi-19916">&quot;We share your concerns about extremist violence in Rakhine state</a> and violence against security forces and how innocent lives have been affected,&quot; India&#39;s PM had said during his meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi .

&quot;At the same time we can have peace, justice, dignity and democratic values for all,&quot; PM Modi added. 
&nbsp; &nbsp; 
India&#39;s foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told reporters later that India has decided to offer development assistance to Rakhine which is one of the most under developed regions of Myanmar.

Roughly 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims live in Myanmar&nbsp;at the moment. Rohingyas were denied citizenship way back in 1982, leaving them stateless.

Rohingyas are confined to the western coastal state of Rakhine and are not allowed to leave without the government&#39;s permission.&nbsp;

Due to the ongoing disturbance, several thousand&nbsp;Rohingyas have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

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India has offered "in-principle commitment"?to develop Myanmar's Rakhine state

India has offered "in-principle commitment" to develop Myanmar's Rakhine state which has been hit by violence with thousands of Rohingyas fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh. PM Modi who is on a two-day visit to Myanmar met Nobel laureate and Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi in Nay Pyi Taw on Wednesday and expressed concern over violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state. "We share your concerns about extremist violence in Rakhine state and violence against security forces and how innocent lives have been affected," India's PM had said during his meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi . "At the same time we can have peace, justice, dignity and democratic values for all," PM Modi added. India's foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told reporters later that India has decided to offer development assistance to Rakhine which is one of the most under developed regions of Myanmar. Roughly 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims live in Myanmar at the moment. Rohingyas were denied citizenship way back in 1982, leaving them stateless. Rohingyas are confined to the western coastal state of Rakhine and are not allowed to leave without the government's permission. Due to the ongoing disturbance, several thousand Rohingyas have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Rohingya crisis: India to offer development assistance to Rakhine state

More than 90,000 Rohingyas, victims of a new surge of violence in Myanmar, are fleeing the country and pouring into Bangladesh, while 30,000 people are <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/04/asia/rohingya-refugees-myanmar-military/index.html">still trapped</a> near the border. At the same time, the government of the prime minister of India &ndash; who is due to <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/world/asia/india-s-modi-to-address-rohingya-issue-during-myanmar-trip-1.625277">visit Myanmar</a> this week &ndash; has announced that 40,000 Rohingya refugees are to be deported. A plea against this decision, made by two Rohingya asylum seekers in Delhi, is being reviewed by India&rsquo;s <a href="http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/supreme-court-to-hear-plea-against-deportation-of-rohingyas-today/839871/">supreme court</a>.

According to those supporting the government move, deporting the Rohingya refugees is <a href="http://www.dailyo.in/voices/rohingya-pakistan-refugee-myanmar/story/1/19305.html">necessary</a> as their continued presence would encourage Islamic fanaticism. Newspaper columns have argued that the crisis in Myanmar has become <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/report-rohingya-refugees-why-is-myanmar-s-humanitarian-crisis-a-terror-concern-for-india-2542851">a terror concern</a> for India.

But how can India, a country which has hosted refugees ever since its foundation as a nation, deport thousands of people based on their ethnicity and faith? India&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.indianbarassociation.org/indias-refugee-policy">refugee policy</a> could provide further insight.

Poor refugee laws

India has been hosting large numbers of refugees without any specific law in place since 1971 when a massive flow of people came from war-torn Bangladesh. It relied on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recommendations &ndash; or what is also called a&nbsp;<a href="https://indiankanoon.org/doc/383397/">customary international law</a>.

<a href="http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SM.POP.REFG?locations=IN">According to the UN data</a>, India takes in between 150,000 to 200,000 people a year.

In the first half of 2014, the UN Refugee agency counted more than <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-home-to-200000-refugees-in-first-half-of-2014-unhcr/article6771040.ece">2m people as refugees</a> living in India. They arrived during peak migration crises and conflicts, including partition in 1947, the Tibet crisis of 1959, the creation of Bangladesh 1971, civil wars in Sri Lanka and wars in Afghanistan.

Refugees not only come from devastated neighbours but <a href="http://www.unhcr.org.in/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=18&amp;Itemid=103">also from African and Middle Eastern countries</a> such as Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Rwanda, Somalia.

Religious discrimination

To counter such flows, the Indian government developed a new strategy last year. It has proposed amending <a href="http://164.100.47.4/BillsTexts/LSBillTexts/Asintroduced/172_2016_LS_ENG.pdf">the Citizenship Act of 1955</a> and makes the naturalisation process easier &ndash; except for displaced persons of the Muslim faith.

The new bill would indeed benefit people belonging to Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Zoroastrian and Sikh faith, which are considered minority religions in their countries of origin, such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, but not Muslims persecuted in their countries of origin, such as the Burmese Rohingyas. Hence the latest proposal to deport Rohingya.

In India, there are 9,200 refugees from Afghanistan, of which, <a href="https://hinduexistence.org/category/pakistani-hindu-refugees-in-india">8,500 are Hindus</a>.&nbsp;There are also more than 400 <a href="https://hinduexistence.org/2016/06/03/india-may-soon-grant-citizenship-to-hindu-refugees-from-pakistan-and-bangladesh/">Pakistani Hindu refugee settlements</a> in major Indian cities. These are mainly in Gujarat and Rajasthan &ndash; states that border Pakistan.

Other groups who could benefit from the new special status comprise indigenous tribes such as Buddhist <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/why-chakmas-and-hajongs-are-indias-nowhere-people/">Chakmas</a> and Hindu <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/explained/why-chakmas-and-hajongs-are-indias-nowhere-people/">Hajongs</a> from Bangladesh.

Persecuted Muslims

Yet, Muslim minorities are also regularly mistreated and seek refuge. <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/ahmadi-muslims-a-minority-community-once-welcomed-in-pakistan-now-persecuted/story-jcTVOfMNX5E4e9gejGP3BI.html">Ahmadiyya Muslims</a>, who follow a 19th-century prophet <a href="https://books.google.de/books?id=C2DxBwAAQBAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">Mirza Ghulam Ahmad</a>, face persecution in Pakistan and in Bangladesh. Similarly, <a href="http://www.hazarapeople.com/2016/11/18/the-persecution-of-the-hazara-people-is-a-holocaust-in-afghanistan/">Hazaras</a> (mainly found in Afghanistan and Pakistan) are persecuted.

In today&rsquo;s Myanmar, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/burma-rohingya-muslims-whats-behind-persecution-aung-san-suu-kyi-a7449126.html">Rohingya Muslims</a> face the wrath of right-wing Buddhist monks and ideologists. In Sri-Lanka, <a href="https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-persecution-of-muslims-in-sri-lanka-and-the-indifference-of-muslim-mps/">Tamil Muslims</a> are also discriminated against by hardliners who want to impose <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/03/opinion/sri-lankas-violent-buddhists.html">a Buddhist supremacy</a>.

People from such backgrounds have fled to India. But, according to the new bill, they will not be granted refugee status. Even 14,000 Rohingyas officially registered with the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1351068">UNHCR</a> could be deported if they are dubbed illegal by the Indian government.

The new proposal infringes the right to equality guaranteed under <a href="http://www.pmindiaun.org/adminpart/uploadpdf/77442Annexure%20II%20of%20the%20UPR%20National%20Report.pdf">Article 14</a> of the Constitution of India. This prohibits <a href="https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/quotes/constitution-of-india-article-15-prohibition-of-discrimination-on-grounds-of-religion-race-caste-sex-or-place-of-birth">discrimination</a> on the grounds of race, religion, caste, creed, sex or place of birth. It contradicts other <a href="http://www.gktoday.in/blog/right-to-freedom-and-six-basic-freedoms-in-india/">fundamental freedoms</a> too.

For example, India grants full protection and assistance through the UNHCR to people (non-Muslims) <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/australia-working-with-india-and-sri-lanka-to-resettle-refugees/article18509041.ece">from Sri Lanka</a> and <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/tibetan-refugees-to-get-indian-passports/articleshow/58231841.cms">Tibet</a>, helping them to get documents with a range of legal benefits. On the other hand, <a href="http://www.hrln.org/admin/issue/subpdf/Refugee_populations_in_India.pdf">refugees from Myanmar, Palestine, and Somalia</a> are seldom helped.

The role of the SAARC region

Instead of being pointed to as the country that deported thousands of helpless people such as the Rohingyas, India could actually become a model for South Asia with regard to the treatment of refugees.

For instance, it could use the auspices of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (<a href="http://www.eurasiareview.com/19052017-saarc-towards-exploring-idea-south-asian-ness-regional-consciousness-analysis/">SAARC</a>) to consider the January 2004 <a href="https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=10&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjSjd6-tr_UAhWIL48KHWaNCwQQFgheMAk&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fsas-space.sas.ac.uk%2F5184%2F1%2FRLI_Working_Paper_No.11.pdf&amp;usg=AFQjCNElTPXBDqLTTighQwfSvPc55Of_xw&amp;sig2=-mDtE-ZngEKwanktqxujBA">South Asian Declaration on the Refugees and Eminent Persons Group&rsquo;s</a> proposal that formulated <a href="http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/56707/17/17_suggestropaedia.pdf">an ideal law</a> respecting global human rights standards.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/79648/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />Based on <a href="http://wghr.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Fact-Sheet-19-Refugees-and-Asylum-Seekers.pdf">international conventions and on 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees</a> it expanded the definition of &ldquo;refugee&rdquo;. And India needs a law with a faith-free definition of refugee status to ensure all can be granted security in the world&rsquo;s most religiously diverse country.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-rohingyas-flee-myanmar-india-needs-to-drop-religious-criteria-in-its-refugee-law-79648">original article</a>.

India needs a law with a faith-free definition of refugee status to ensure all can be granted security in the world?s most religiously diverse country.

More than 90,000 Rohingyas, victims of a new surge of violence in Myanmar, are fleeing the country and pouring into Bangladesh, while 30,000 people are still trapped near the border. At the same time, the government of the prime minister of India – who is due to visit Myanmar this week – has announced that 40,000 Rohingya refugees are to be deported. A plea against this decision, made by two Rohingya asylum seekers in Delhi, is being reviewed by India’s supreme court. According to those supporting the government move, deporting the Rohingya refugees is necessary as their continued presence would encourage Islamic fanaticism. Newspaper columns have argued that the crisis in Myanmar has become a terror concern for India. But how can India, a country which has hosted refugees ever since its foundation as a nation, deport thousands of people based on their ethnicity and faith? India’s refugee policy could provide further insight. Poor refugee laws India has been hosting large numbers of refugees without any specific law in place since 1971 when a massive flow of people came from war-torn Bangladesh. It relied on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recommendations – or what is also called a customary international law. According to the UN data, India takes in between 150,000 to 200,000 people a year. In the first half of 2014, the UN Refugee agency counted more than 2m people as refugees living in India. They arrived during peak migration crises and conflicts, including partition in 1947, the Tibet crisis of 1959, the creation of Bangladesh 1971, civil wars in Sri Lanka and wars in Afghanistan. Refugees not only come from devastated neighbours but also from African and Middle Eastern countries such as Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, Rwanda, Somalia. Religious discrimination To counter such flows, the Indian government developed a new strategy last year. It has proposed amending the Citizenship Act of 1955 and makes the naturalisation process easier – except for displaced persons of the Muslim faith. The new bill would indeed benefit people belonging to Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Zoroastrian and Sikh faith, which are considered minority religions in their countries of origin, such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, but not Muslims persecuted in their countries of origin, such as the Burmese Rohingyas. Hence the latest proposal to deport Rohingya. In India, there are 9,200 refugees from Afghanistan, of which, 8,500 are Hindus. There are also more than 400 Pakistani Hindu refugee settlements in major Indian cities. These are mainly in Gujarat and Rajasthan – states that border Pakistan. Other groups who could benefit from the new special status comprise indigenous tribes such as Buddhist Chakmas and Hindu Hajongs from Bangladesh. Persecuted Muslims Yet, Muslim minorities are also regularly mistreated and seek refuge. Ahmadiyya Muslims, who follow a 19th-century prophet Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, face persecution in Pakistan and in Bangladesh. Similarly, Hazaras (mainly found in Afghanistan and Pakistan) are persecuted. In today’s Myanmar, Rohingya Muslims face the wrath of right-wing Buddhist monks and ideologists. In Sri-Lanka, Tamil Muslims are also discriminated against by hardliners who want to impose a Buddhist supremacy. People from such backgrounds have fled to India. But, according to the new bill, they will not be granted refugee status. Even 14,000 Rohingyas officially registered with the UNHCR could be deported if they are dubbed illegal by the Indian government. The new proposal infringes the right to equality guaranteed under Article 14 of the Constitution of India. This prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, caste, creed, sex or place of birth. It contradicts other fundamental freedoms too. For example, India grants full protection and assistance through the UNHCR to people (non-Muslims) from Sri Lanka and Tibet, helping them to get documents with a range of legal benefits. On the other hand, refugees from Myanmar, Palestine, and Somalia are seldom helped. The role of the SAARC region Instead of being pointed to as the country that deported thousands of helpless people such as the Rohingyas, India could actually become a model for South Asia with regard to the treatment of refugees. For instance, it could use the auspices of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to consider the January 2004 South Asian Declaration on the Refugees and Eminent Persons Group’s proposal that formulated an ideal law respecting global human rights standards. Based on international conventions and on 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees it expanded the definition of “refugee”. And India needs a law with a faith-free definition of refugee status to ensure all can be granted security in the world’s most religiously diverse country. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Why India's Citizenship Act doesn't see Rohingyas as 'refugees'

Rohingyas of no man&#39;s land -- Who are they?

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indonesian-minister-to-meet-suu-kyi-amid-protests-over-rohingya-19834">Rohingyas are frequently described as the world&#39;s</a> most persecuted social minority group. For centuries, the marginalised Muslim group have been living&nbsp;in Rakhine state in&nbsp;Buddhist dominated Myanmar.

As much as 90% of Myanmar&#39;s population follow Buddhism. <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingyas-fleeing-violence-in-myanmar-turned-back-by-bangladesh-9442">Rohingyas are not recognised as citizens</a> and are considered illegal migrants. The South Asian country has 135 official ethnic groups and Rohingyas are not one of them.

Roughly 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims live in the country at the moment. They have been denied citizenship since 1982, leaving them stateless. The group is confined to the western coastal state of Rakhine and are not allowed to leave without the government&#39;s permission. The area does not have basic amenities and is, therefore, the poorest state of the country.&nbsp;

Due to the ongoing disturbance, several thousands of Rohingyas have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Where do they belong?

According to historians, Rohingyas have roots in Myanmar since the 12th century. Historians say&nbsp;Rakhine state has been inhabited by them since time immemorial.

During the times when British had colonised a major region of South Asia, several Muslims migrated from India and Bangladesh to Myanmar. Since Myanmar was considered a province of India under the British rule, the migration was considered legal and internal.

They were brought into British Burma as cheap labour. However, the locals and natives were not happy about this and when Myanmar&nbsp;got independence, they declared the Muslim groups as illegal.

The term Rohingya is rejected by the government and is called a recent invention for political reasons. Rohingyas are considered newcomers and outcast by the majority in the country.

However, after independence, the government allowed Rohingya families living in Myanmar for at least two generations to apply for ID cards or citizenship. Some from the group were also serving in&nbsp;Parliament.

Things changed for them after the 1962 military coup - they were given foreign ID cards - thereby limiting educational and employment opportunities.

In 1982, the new citizenship law declared them stateless. The only way for them to obtain naturalised citizenship was to provide proof of their family living in Myanmar prior to 1948 and speak any of the national languages fluently.

Otherwise, the 1.6 per cent of the country&#39;s population was denied work, study, religious, health, voting and marital rights.

The ongoing crisis

In late August, in an act of protest, Rohingya insurgents attacked the country&#39;s army base and police posts. The military, in return, started firing. Unarmed and innocent people were shot by the government.

At least 10 areas of Rakhine state have been affected. As a result, more than 50,000 people have fled and thousands are still trapped in borders of Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Bangladesh has refused to let more Rohingyas enter.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army is a group formed to &quot;defend, salvage and protect the community&quot;.

However, it is considered a &quot;terrorist&quot; organisation by the government. The group claims responsibility for the attack in August. &nbsp;According to the government, nearly 400 people were killed, the majority of whom were members of the ARSA. Rights groups, however, say hundreds of civilians have been killed by security forces. &nbsp;

This is termed as the biggest humanitarian crisis by the United Nations.

 
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Stuck in no man's land, the most persecuted social group strives for identity

Rohingyas of no man's land -- Who are they? Rohingyas are frequently described as the world's most persecuted social minority group. For centuries, the marginalised Muslim group have been living in Rakhine state in Buddhist dominated Myanmar. As much as 90% of Myanmar's population follow Buddhism. Rohingyas are not recognised as citizens and are considered illegal migrants. The South Asian country has 135 official ethnic groups and Rohingyas are not one of them. Roughly 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims live in the country at the moment. They have been denied citizenship since 1982, leaving them stateless. The group is confined to the western coastal state of Rakhine and are not allowed to leave without the government's permission. The area does not have basic amenities and is, therefore, the poorest state of the country. Due to the ongoing disturbance, several thousands of Rohingyas have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh. Where do they belong? According to historians, Rohingyas have roots in Myanmar since the 12th century. Historians say Rakhine state has been inhabited by them since time immemorial. During the times when British had colonised a major region of South Asia, several Muslims migrated from India and Bangladesh to Myanmar. Since Myanmar was considered a province of India under the British rule, the migration was considered legal and internal. They were brought into British Burma as cheap labour. However, the locals and natives were not happy about this and when Myanmar got independence, they declared the Muslim groups as illegal. The term Rohingya is rejected by the government and is called a recent invention for political reasons. Rohingyas are considered newcomers and outcast by the majority in the country. However, after independence, the government allowed Rohingya families living in Myanmar for at least two generations to apply for ID cards or citizenship. Some from the group were also serving in Parliament. Things changed for them after the 1962 military coup - they were given foreign ID cards - thereby limiting educational and employment opportunities. In 1982, the new citizenship law declared them stateless. The only way for them to obtain naturalised citizenship was to provide proof of their family living in Myanmar prior to 1948 and speak any of the national languages fluently. Otherwise, the 1.6 per cent of the country's population was denied work, study, religious, health, voting and marital rights. The ongoing crisis In late August, in an act of protest, Rohingya insurgents attacked the country's army base and police posts. The military, in return, started firing. Unarmed and innocent people were shot by the government. At least 10 areas of Rakhine state have been affected. As a result, more than 50,000 people have fled and thousands are still trapped in borders of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Bangladesh has refused to let more Rohingyas enter. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army is a group formed to "defend, salvage and protect the community". However, it is considered a "terrorist" organisation by the government. The group claims responsibility for the attack in August. According to the government, nearly 400 people were killed, the majority of whom were members of the ARSA. Rights groups, however, say hundreds of civilians have been killed by security forces. This is termed as the biggest humanitarian crisis by the United Nations.

All you need to know about Rohingyas and the ongoing crisis

Amid Prime Minister Modi&#39;s <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/rohingya-children-beheaded-civlians-burned-alive-by-myanmarese-security-forces-report-19823">two-day visit to Myanmar, Union minister of state for home affairs</a> Kiren Rijiju asserted Rohingyas are illegal immigrants living in India.

Prime Minister Modi<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/ahead-of-modis-visit-to-myanmar-aung-san-suu-kyi-under-pressure-to-end-rohingya-crisis-19884"> is set to meet Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi </a>today with the Rohingya issue likely to come up during the talks. The Indian prime minister<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/live-updates-modi-in-myanmar-19896"> met Myanmar President Htin Kyaw in Nay Pyi Taw </a>on Tuesday.

&ldquo;I want to tell the international organisations whether the Rohingyas are registered under the United Nations Human Rights Commission or not. They are illegal immigrants in India,&rdquo; Rijiju told reporters in India even as two Rohingya immigrants approached the Supreme Court to urge the government not to deport them to Myanmar.&nbsp;

The Union minister of state added that Rohingyas &quot;stand to be deported&quot; since they are not legal immigrants. The minister said the central government had instructed all state governments to start the process of deportation of Rohingyas.

&ldquo;We are following the legal path then why have we been accused of being inhuman,&rdquo; the minister told PTI.

According to the UN, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-bodies-wash-up-un-says-27000-rohingya-have-fled-myanmar-19767">at least 123,600 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh</a> straining the country&#39;s economy.&nbsp;

The latest violence erupted in Myanmar&#39;s northwestern Rakhine state a fortnight ago when Rohingya insurgents attacked police posts and an army base. The ensuing clashes and a military offensive led to the death of at least 400 people, Reuters reported.

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Rijiju added that Rohingyas "stand to be deported" since they are not legal immigrants

Amid Prime Minister Modi's two-day visit to Myanmar, Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju asserted Rohingyas are illegal immigrants living in India. Prime Minister Modi is set to meet Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi today with the Rohingya issue likely to come up during the talks. The Indian prime minister met Myanmar President Htin Kyaw in Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday. “I want to tell the international organisations whether the Rohingyas are registered under the United Nations Human Rights Commission or not. They are illegal immigrants in India,” Rijiju told reporters in India even as two Rohingya immigrants approached the Supreme Court to urge the government not to deport them to Myanmar. The Union minister of state added that Rohingyas "stand to be deported" since they are not legal immigrants. The minister said the central government had instructed all state governments to start the process of deportation of Rohingyas. “We are following the legal path then why have we been accused of being inhuman,” the minister told PTI. According to the UN, at least 123,600 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh straining the country's economy. The latest violence erupted in Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine state a fortnight ago when Rohingya insurgents attacked police posts and an army base. The ensuing clashes and a military offensive led to the death of at least 400 people, Reuters reported.

Rohingyas are illegal immigrants in India: Kiren Rijiju

Indonesian police have pledged to bar Islamist groups from staging a rally on Friday at the Borobudur Buddhist temple in central Java to protest against the persecution of Myanmar&#39;s Rohingya Muslims.

Islamist groups say they plan the demonstration close to the stupa-topped Borobudur temple, which dates from the 9th century and is a popular tourist site, to call for an end to violence against the religious and ethnic minority in Myanmar.

Indonesia has the world&#39;s largest population of Muslims and there have been a number of anti-Myanmar protests in Jakarta and the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur over the treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar&#39;s roughly 1.1 million Rohingyas.

Almost 125,000 Rohingyas have been forced to flee clashes between Rohingya insurgents and the army in the northwest Rakhine state. Tens of thousands have crossed the border into neighbouring Bangladesh.

&quot;The action at Borobudur temple will be prohibited,&quot; National Police Chief Tito Karnavian told reporters, according to media.

&quot;This is not just part of the heritage of Indonesia, but that of the world. There is no need for protests in response to the Rohingya conflict because the Indonesian government is taking action on it already.&quot;

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Monday met Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and top security officials to call for a halt to the bloodshed. Marsudi was due in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, on Tuesday.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif expressed &quot;deep anguish at the ongoing violence against the Rohingya Muslims&quot; and urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take &quot;immediate and effective action to bring an end to all human-rights violations against innocent and unarmed Rohingya Muslim population&quot;.

An organiser of Friday&#39;s planned protest said the groups wanted to protest peacefully near the Borobodur temple to show Indonesia&#39;s tolerance.

&quot;The Borobudur is an extraordinary symbol of tolerance,&quot; said Anang Imamuddin. &quot;We want the world to know that it is in a majority Muslim country but it is safe. Buddhist monks are safe here too.&quot;

Islamist groups say they plan the demonstration close to the stupa-topped Borobudur temple, to call for an end to violence against the religious and ethnic minority in Myanmar.

Indonesian police have pledged to bar Islamist groups from staging a rally on Friday at the Borobudur Buddhist temple in central Java to protest against the persecution of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims. Islamist groups say they plan the demonstration close to the stupa-topped Borobudur temple, which dates from the 9th century and is a popular tourist site, to call for an end to violence against the religious and ethnic minority in Myanmar. Indonesia has the world's largest population of Muslims and there have been a number of anti-Myanmar protests in Jakarta and the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur over the treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar's roughly 1.1 million Rohingyas. Almost 125,000 Rohingyas have been forced to flee clashes between Rohingya insurgents and the army in the northwest Rakhine state. Tens of thousands have crossed the border into neighbouring Bangladesh. "The action at Borobudur temple will be prohibited," National Police Chief Tito Karnavian told reporters, according to media. "This is not just part of the heritage of Indonesia, but that of the world. There is no need for protests in response to the Rohingya conflict because the Indonesian government is taking action on it already." Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Monday met Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and top security officials to call for a halt to the bloodshed. Marsudi was due in Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, on Tuesday. Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif expressed "deep anguish at the ongoing violence against the Rohingya Muslims" and urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take "immediate and effective action to bring an end to all human-rights violations against innocent and unarmed Rohingya Muslim population". An organiser of Friday's planned protest said the groups wanted to protest peacefully near the Borobodur temple to show Indonesia's tolerance. "The Borobudur is an extraordinary symbol of tolerance," said Anang Imamuddin. "We want the world to know that it is in a majority Muslim country but it is safe. Buddhist monks are safe here too."

Indonesia to bar Myanmar protest at world's biggest Buddhist temple

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/indonesian-minister-to-meet-suu-kyi-amid-protests-over-rohingya-19834">Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi</a> has come under pressure from countries with large Muslim populations including Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan to stop violence against Rohingya Muslims after nearly 125,000 of them fled to Bangladesh.

Indonesian foreign minister met the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing on Monday to call on Myanmar to halt the bloodshed. The minister, Retno Marsudi, was due in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, on Tuesday.

&quot;The security authorities need to immediately stop all forms of violence there and provide humanitarian assistance and development aid for the short and long term,&quot; Retno said after her meetings in the Myanmar capital.

The latest violence in Myanmar&#39;s northwestern Rakhine state began on Aug. 25, when Rohingya insurgents attacked dozens of police posts and an army base. The ensuing clashes and a military counter-offensive have killed at least 400 people and triggered the exodus of villagers to Bangladesh.

The treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar&#39;s roughly 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing Suu Kyi, who has been accused by Western critics of not speaking out for the minority that has long complained of persecution.

Myanmar says its security forces are fighting a legitimate campaign against &quot;terrorists&quot; responsible for a string of attacks on police posts and the army since last October.

Myanmar officials blamed Rohingya militants for the burning of homes and civilian deaths but rights monitors and Rohingya fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh say the Myanmar army is trying to force Rohingya out with a campaign of arson and killings.

&quot;Indonesia is taking the lead on this and ultimately there is a possibility of ASEAN countries joining in,&quot; H.T. Imam, political adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, told Reuters, referring to the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, of which both Myanmar and Indonesia are members.

&quot;If we can keep the pressure on Myanmar from ASEAN, from India as well, that will be good.&quot;

CONSCIENCE AWAKENED?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a visit to Myanmar later on Tuesday, during which he is due to meet top officials, including Suu Kyi.

&quot;PM Modi is going there and our foreign secretary has already briefed the foreign secretary of India on this. If international conscience is awakened then that would put pressure on Myanmar,&quot; said H.T. Imam.

The latest estimate of the number of people who have crossed the border into Bangladesh since Aug. 25, based on calculations by U.N. workers on the Bangladeshi side, is 123,600.

That takes to about 210,000 the number of Rohingya who have sought refuge in Bangladesh since October, when Rohingya insurgents staged much smaller attacks on security posts, triggering a major Myanmar army counteroffensive and sending about 87,000 people fleeing into Bangladesh.

The new arrivals - many sick or wounded with burns or bullet wounds - have strained aid agencies and communities already helping hundreds of thousands of refugees from previous spasms of violence in Myanmar.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif expressed &quot;deep anguish at the ongoing violence against the Rohingya Muslims&quot; and urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take &quot;immediate and effective action to bring an end to all human-rights violations against innocent and unarmed Rohingya Muslim population&quot;.

Pakistan is home to a large Rohingya community.

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, on Monday called on Suu Kyi to condemn the &quot;shameful&quot; treatment of the Rohingya, saying &quot;the world is waiting&quot; for her to speak out.

Indonesian foreign minister met the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing on Monday to call on Myanmar to halt the bloodshed. The minister, Retno Marsudi, was due in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, on Tuesday.

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has come under pressure from countries with large Muslim populations including Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan to stop violence against Rohingya Muslims after nearly 125,000 of them fled to Bangladesh. Indonesian foreign minister met the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing on Monday to call on Myanmar to halt the bloodshed. The minister, Retno Marsudi, was due in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, on Tuesday. "The security authorities need to immediately stop all forms of violence there and provide humanitarian assistance and development aid for the short and long term," Retno said after her meetings in the Myanmar capital. The latest violence in Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine state began on Aug. 25, when Rohingya insurgents attacked dozens of police posts and an army base. The ensuing clashes and a military counter-offensive have killed at least 400 people and triggered the exodus of villagers to Bangladesh. The treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar's roughly 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing Suu Kyi, who has been accused by Western critics of not speaking out for the minority that has long complained of persecution. Myanmar says its security forces are fighting a legitimate campaign against "terrorists" responsible for a string of attacks on police posts and the army since last October. Myanmar officials blamed Rohingya militants for the burning of homes and civilian deaths but rights monitors and Rohingya fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh say the Myanmar army is trying to force Rohingya out with a campaign of arson and killings. "Indonesia is taking the lead on this and ultimately there is a possibility of ASEAN countries joining in," H.T. Imam, political adviser to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, told Reuters, referring to the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations, of which both Myanmar and Indonesia are members. "If we can keep the pressure on Myanmar from ASEAN, from India as well, that will be good." CONSCIENCE AWAKENED? Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins a visit to Myanmar later on Tuesday, during which he is due to meet top officials, including Suu Kyi. "PM Modi is going there and our foreign secretary has already briefed the foreign secretary of India on this. If international conscience is awakened then that would put pressure on Myanmar," said H.T. Imam. The latest estimate of the number of people who have crossed the border into Bangladesh since Aug. 25, based on calculations by U.N. workers on the Bangladeshi side, is 123,600. That takes to about 210,000 the number of Rohingya who have sought refuge in Bangladesh since October, when Rohingya insurgents staged much smaller attacks on security posts, triggering a major Myanmar army counteroffensive and sending about 87,000 people fleeing into Bangladesh. The new arrivals - many sick or wounded with burns or bullet wounds - have strained aid agencies and communities already helping hundreds of thousands of refugees from previous spasms of violence in Myanmar. Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif expressed "deep anguish at the ongoing violence against the Rohingya Muslims" and urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take "immediate and effective action to bring an end to all human-rights violations against innocent and unarmed Rohingya Muslim population". Pakistan is home to a large Rohingya community. Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, on Monday called on Suu Kyi to condemn the "shameful" treatment of the Rohingya, saying "the world is waiting" for her to speak out.

Myanmar's Suu Kyi under pressure as almost 125,000 Rohingya flee violence

Indonesia&#39;s foreign minister is due to meet Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday to discuss delivering <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/thousands-of-rohingyas-seek-safety-in-bangladesh-as-clashes-in-myanamr-intensify-19661">humanitarian aid to members of Myanmar&#39;s Rohingya minority</a>, as Indonesian protesters urged their government to take a tougher line.

Dozens of I<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-violence-thousands-of-rohingyas-enter-bangladesh-more-stranded-in-no-mans-land-19554">ndonesians protested outside the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta</a> on Monday, calling for a cut in diplomatic ties with Myanmar over violence against its Rohingya Muslim minority.

Aid agencies estimate that about 90,000 Rohingya have fled from Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh since violence erupted in the north of Rakhine state last week.

&quot;We will discuss in detail Indonesia&#39;s proposal on how Indonesia can give humanitarian aid to Rakhine state,&quot; Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a video statement from the Myanmar city of Yangon.

She is also scheduled to travel to Bangladesh to urge authorities there to protect fleeing Rohingya refugees.

In a sign of mounting public anger in Jakarta, a petrol bomb was thrown at the Myanmar embassy on Sunday, causing a small fire.

The protests follow demonstrations in Malaysia and condemnation from world leaders such as President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who on Friday said the violence against Muslims amounted to genocide.

The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar and regarded as illegal immigrants, despite claiming roots that date back centuries. Bangladesh is also growing increasingly hostile to Rohingya, more than 400,000 of whom live in the poor South Asian country after fleeing Myanmar since the early 1990s.

Indonesia is home to the world&#39;s largest population of Muslims. Its government has been actively involved in providing aid for Myanmar to develop Rakhine state and protect the rights of the Rohingya, alongside the majority Buddhist community.

Ifah Rohma, an activist from a Jakarta-based organisation called Muslim Friends of Rohingya, said many Indonesians as fellow Muslims were concerned about the fate of Rohingya.

&quot;Indonesia should not be engaging in soft diplomacy,&quot; Rohma said outside the Myanmar embassy, which was surrounded by heavy security and barbed wire.

&quot;Now is the time to cut ties, recall our ambassador and expel their ambassador,&quot; she said.

Myanmar says its security forces are fighting a legitimate campaign against &quot;terrorists&quot; responsible for a string of attacks on police posts and the army since last October.

Dozens of Indonesians protested outside the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta on Monday, calling for a cut in diplomatic ties with Myanmar over violence against its Rohingya Muslim minority.

Indonesia's foreign minister is due to meet Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday to discuss delivering humanitarian aid to members of Myanmar's Rohingya minority, as Indonesian protesters urged their government to take a tougher line. Dozens of Indonesians protested outside the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta on Monday, calling for a cut in diplomatic ties with Myanmar over violence against its Rohingya Muslim minority. Aid agencies estimate that about 90,000 Rohingya have fled from Myanmar into neighbouring Bangladesh since violence erupted in the north of Rakhine state last week. "We will discuss in detail Indonesia's proposal on how Indonesia can give humanitarian aid to Rakhine state," Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a video statement from the Myanmar city of Yangon. She is also scheduled to travel to Bangladesh to urge authorities there to protect fleeing Rohingya refugees. In a sign of mounting public anger in Jakarta, a petrol bomb was thrown at the Myanmar embassy on Sunday, causing a small fire. The protests follow demonstrations in Malaysia and condemnation from world leaders such as President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who on Friday said the violence against Muslims amounted to genocide. The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar and regarded as illegal immigrants, despite claiming roots that date back centuries. Bangladesh is also growing increasingly hostile to Rohingya, more than 400,000 of whom live in the poor South Asian country after fleeing Myanmar since the early 1990s. Indonesia is home to the world's largest population of Muslims. Its government has been actively involved in providing aid for Myanmar to develop Rakhine state and protect the rights of the Rohingya, alongside the majority Buddhist community. Ifah Rohma, an activist from a Jakarta-based organisation called Muslim Friends of Rohingya, said many Indonesians as fellow Muslims were concerned about the fate of Rohingya. "Indonesia should not be engaging in soft diplomacy," Rohma said outside the Myanmar embassy, which was surrounded by heavy security and barbed wire. "Now is the time to cut ties, recall our ambassador and expel their ambassador," she said. Myanmar says its security forces are fighting a legitimate campaign against "terrorists" responsible for a string of attacks on police posts and the army since last October.

Indonesian minister to meet Suu Kyi amid protests over Rohingyas

Mo&nbsp;Farah&nbsp;won the final&nbsp;track&nbsp;race&nbsp;of his career by the skin of his teeth on Thursday, clinching a dramatic 5,000 metres win after three chasing rivals collided with each other in the&nbsp;last&nbsp;couple of metres.

World champion Muktar Edris, who beat&nbsp;Farah&nbsp;at the World Championships in London two weeks ago, was among the trio left sprawled on the&nbsp;track&nbsp;in the Briton&#39;s wake as&nbsp;Farah&nbsp;dived over the line.

With quadruple Olympic and six-time world champion&nbsp;Farah&nbsp;leading going into the final straight, Ethiopian Edris came powering through and appeared set to snatch victory on the line.

But Edris tripped after being clipped on the shoulder by Paul Chelimo as the American tried to force his way through a gap and he, in turn, bowled over Yomif Kejelcha, another Ethiopian, on the outside.

Chelimo stumbled over the line in second and Edris&#39;s momentum took him over in third.

Britain&#39;s greatest&nbsp;racer,&nbsp;and perhaps the best the world has seen too after 10 global title&nbsp;wins, will take to the roads next season to run marathons.

Farah&nbsp;stayed on Edris&#39;s shoulder for almost the whole&nbsp;race&nbsp;as they gradually moved up to the field, determined not to be outsmarted by his rivals.

&quot;It&#39;s amazing to come away with a win today,&quot;&nbsp;Farah&nbsp;told reporters.

&quot;I&#39;ve been resting up and watching Edris, what tactics he normally uses, studying, working out and tonight the game plan was to sit on him and make him do a lot of the work,&quot; he added.

&quot;Going into the&nbsp;last&nbsp;lap, the plan was not to give anyone an inch, and that&#39;s what I did.&quot;

&quot;I will really miss it but everything must come to an end sometime.&quot;

There was plenty of drama elsewhere, not least in the 400 metres which were won by Botswana&#39;s Isaac Makwala who was barred from the same event in London by the IAAF after falling ill despite the athlete saying he was fit to run.

Olympic champion Ruth Jebet, fifth in London, ran the second-fastest time in history in the women&#39;s 3,000 metres steeplechase, the Bahraini winning in 8:55.29, nearly 20 seconds ahead of fourth-placed world champion Emma Coburn of the United States.

Justin Gatlin, who upstaged Usain Bolt in the Jamaican&#39;s final 100 metres in London, was fourth in his&nbsp;race, won by Britain&#39;s Chijindu Ujah in 9.97 seconds.

Dafne Schippers, world champion in the 200 metres, was also fourth as Shaunae Miller-Uibo produced a late surge over the&nbsp;last&nbsp;few metres to win in a Bahamas record time of 21.88 seconds. Olympic champion Elaine Thompson was second.

Norway&#39;s Karsten Warholm, a surprise world champion in the 400 metres hurdles, was upstaged by Kyron McMaster of British Virgin Islands after he faltered at the eighth barrier.

Timothy Cheruiyot, the silver medallist in London, won the men&#39;s 1,500 metres while world champion and fellow Kenyan Elijah Manangoi was third.

There were no surprises, however, in the women&#39;s 800 metres where South African Caster Semenya powered into the lead with around 200 metres left to win comfortably.

Other world champions who celebrated their triumphs in style included Qatar&#39;s Mutaz Essa Barshim who won the high jump with 2.36 metres and Sam Kendricks of the United States who took the pole vault with 5.87 metres.

The dead had been trying to cross the Naf river into Bangladesh

Mo Farah won the final track race of his career by the skin of his teeth on Thursday, clinching a dramatic 5,000 metres win after three chasing rivals collided with each other in the last couple of metres. World champion Muktar Edris, who beat Farah at the World Championships in London two weeks ago, was among the trio left sprawled on the track in the Briton's wake as Farah dived over the line. With quadruple Olympic and six-time world champion Farah leading going into the final straight, Ethiopian Edris came powering through and appeared set to snatch victory on the line. But Edris tripped after being clipped on the shoulder by Paul Chelimo as the American tried to force his way through a gap and he, in turn, bowled over Yomif Kejelcha, another Ethiopian, on the outside. Chelimo stumbled over the line in second and Edris's momentum took him over in third. Britain's greatest racer, and perhaps the best the world has seen too after 10 global title wins, will take to the roads next season to run marathons. Farah stayed on Edris's shoulder for almost the whole race as they gradually moved up to the field, determined not to be outsmarted by his rivals. "It's amazing to come away with a win today," Farah told reporters. "I've been resting up and watching Edris, what tactics he normally uses, studying, working out and tonight the game plan was to sit on him and make him do a lot of the work," he added. "Going into the last lap, the plan was not to give anyone an inch, and that's what I did." "I will really miss it but everything must come to an end sometime." There was plenty of drama elsewhere, not least in the 400 metres which were won by Botswana's Isaac Makwala who was barred from the same event in London by the IAAF after falling ill despite the athlete saying he was fit to run. Olympic champion Ruth Jebet, fifth in London, ran the second-fastest time in history in the women's 3,000 metres steeplechase, the Bahraini winning in 8:55.29, nearly 20 seconds ahead of fourth-placed world champion Emma Coburn of the United States. Justin Gatlin, who upstaged Usain Bolt in the Jamaican's final 100 metres in London, was fourth in his race, won by Britain's Chijindu Ujah in 9.97 seconds. Dafne Schippers, world champion in the 200 metres, was also fourth as Shaunae Miller-Uibo produced a late surge over the last few metres to win in a Bahamas record time of 21.88 seconds. Olympic champion Elaine Thompson was second. Norway's Karsten Warholm, a surprise world champion in the 400 metres hurdles, was upstaged by Kyron McMaster of British Virgin Islands after he faltered at the eighth barrier. Timothy Cheruiyot, the silver medallist in London, won the men's 1,500 metres while world champion and fellow Kenyan Elijah Manangoi was third. There were no surprises, however, in the women's 800 metres where South African Caster Semenya powered into the lead with around 200 metres left to win comfortably. Other world champions who celebrated their triumphs in style included Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim who won the high jump with 2.36 metres and Sam Kendricks of the United States who took the pole vault with 5.87 metres.

As bodies wash up, UN says 27,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar

A bumper harvest of pulses in India has significantly reduced the imports from neigbouring Myanmar, according to a media report.

India had announced a 200,000-ton import quota on pigeon peas and 300,000-ton quota on mung bean and green grams, according to a report in Xinhua news agency.

Myanmar has blamed India for throwing its domestic&nbsp;pulses industry in disarray, an official report said.

Import restrictions will help in incentivising Indian farmers.

Myanmar&#39;s pulses farmers rely on the vast Indian market for their produce. &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

India has imposed import restrictions on three types of pulses from Myanmar

A bumper harvest of pulses in India has significantly reduced the imports from neigbouring Myanmar, according to a media report. India had announced a 200,000-ton import quota on pigeon peas and 300,000-ton quota on mung bean and green grams, according to a report in Xinhua news agency. Myanmar has blamed India for throwing its domestic pulses industry in disarray, an official report said. Import restrictions will help in incentivising Indian farmers. Myanmar's pulses farmers rely on the vast Indian market for their produce.

Bumper pulses harvest in India, Myanmar farmers unhappy

Hundreds of people gathered in Yangon, one of Myanmar&#39;s largest cities, on Wednesday (August 30) to protest against the latest insurgent attack in northwestern Rakhine State and the findings and recommendations of Kofi Annan&#39;s Rakhine State Advisory Commission on the Rohingya crisis.

Nationalists who joined the protest have called for the Tatmadaw, Myanmar&#39;s military, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/myanmar-unrest-villagers-aid-workers-escape-violence-19579">to &#39;take control&#39; in the Rakhine state after Friday&#39;s (August 25)</a> series of coordinated attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security forces in the north of Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state.

The attack and ensuing clashes triggered the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/thousands-of-rohingyas-seek-safety-in-bangladesh-as-clashes-in-myanamr-intensify-19661">Rohingya exodus with more than 18,000 Rohingya Muslims</a> fleeing into Bangladesh and the government evacuated thousands of Rakhine Buddhists.

The former UN chief&#39;s commission, appointed last year by leader Aung San Suu Kyi to come up with long-term solutions for the violence-driven, ethnically and religiously divided Rakhine state, said perpetrators of rights abuses should be held accountable or risk the deteriorating of the situation.

The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar and regarded as illegal immigrants, despite claiming roots that date back centuries.

People gathered in hundreds in protest against the insurgent attack in Rakhine state

Hundreds of people gathered in Yangon, one of Myanmar's largest cities, on Wednesday (August 30) to protest against the latest insurgent attack in northwestern Rakhine State and the findings and recommendations of Kofi Annan's Rakhine State Advisory Commission on the Rohingya crisis. Nationalists who joined the protest have called for the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's military, to 'take control' in the Rakhine state after Friday's (August 25) series of coordinated attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security forces in the north of Myanmar's Rakhine state. The attack and ensuing clashes triggered the Rohingya exodus with more than 18,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing into Bangladesh and the government evacuated thousands of Rakhine Buddhists. The former UN chief's commission, appointed last year by leader Aung San Suu Kyi to come up with long-term solutions for the violence-driven, ethnically and religiously divided Rakhine state, said perpetrators of rights abuses should be held accountable or risk the deteriorating of the situation. The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar and regarded as illegal immigrants, despite claiming roots that date back centuries.

Myanmar nationalists call for military to 'take control' in Rakhine

Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh from fighting in Myanmar face the growing danger of sickness and attempts by the Bangladesh authorities to send them home despite a UN appeal that they be allowed to stay.

A series of coordinated attacks by Rohingya insurgents on Myanmar security forces on Friday, in the north of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/myanmar-unrest-villagers-aid-workers-escape-violence-19579">Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine State</a>, has triggered a crackdown by Myanmar forces that has sent a stream of Rohingya villagers fleeing to Bangladesh.

It also sparked a mass evacuation of thousands of Buddhist residents of the area.

At least 109 people have been killed in the clashes in Myanmar, most of them militants but including members of the security forces and civilians.

Bangladesh which already hosts&nbsp;more than 400,000 Rohingya who have fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar since the early 1990s, has said it will not accept any more.

Bangladesh&#39;s border guards are trying to block the Rohingyas from crossing in, and aim to round up and send back those who do.

Border guard officials told Reuters they had sent back about 550 Rohingya since Monday, via the Naf river that separates the two countries, despite an appeal by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for Dhaka to allow Rohingya to seek safety.

An estimated 5,000 Rohingya have been able to cross into Bangladesh over the past few days, most slipping in at night over the land border near the Bangladeshi village of Gumdhum.

Many are sick and at least six have died after crossing in, an aid worker said, adding that fear of being caught and sent back meant some refused to seek help.

&quot;What we&#39;re seeing is that many Rohingya people are sick,&quot; said the worker with an international agency in Bangladesh who declined to be identified or have his agency identified.

&quot;This is because they got stuck at the border before they could enter. It&#39;s mostly women and children.&quot;

&quot;We&#39;re making all out efforts but a rapid response is needed,&quot; the aid worker said. &quot;Some are refraining from getting treatment to avoid arrest.&quot;

Thousands of Rohingya are stranded in the no man&#39;s land between the two countries, trying to get into Bangladesh, aid workers and fellow Rohingya say.

Ambush

The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar and classified as illegal immigrants, despite claiming roots there that go back centuries. They are marginalised and their communities occasionally subjected to communal violence.

A Rohingya militant group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which Myanmar has declared a terrorist organisation, claimed responsibility for the Friday attacks. It was also behind a similar though smaller series of attacks in October, which also triggered a tough Myanmar army response.

In a video posted online on Monday, ARSA leader Ata Ullah warned Myanmar against &quot;oppressing&quot; Rohingya and vowed to keep fighting to protect the community.

The treatment of about 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar has become the biggest challenge for national leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been accused by Western critics of not speaking out on behalf of the long-persecuted minority.

Myanmar said late on Monday that a total of 45 insurgent bombs went off on Sunday and Monday. It also blamed the insurgents for torching seven villages, one outpost, and two parts of Maungdaw town.

Attackers ambushed security forces with small arms and machetes on Monday, and one policeman and one civilian were wounded, the government said in a statement.

Satellite imagery analysed by New York-based Human Rights Watch showed widespread burnings in at least 10 areas in northern Rakhine State since the Aug. 25 militant raids, the group said in a statement.

&quot;This new satellite data should cause concern and prompt action by donors and UN agencies to urge the Burmese government to reveal the extent of ongoing destruction in Rakhine State,&quot; said Phil Robertson, the group&#39;s deputy Asia director.

&quot;Shuffling all the blame on insurgents doesn&#39;t spare the Burmese government from its international obligations to stop abuses and investigate alleged violations.&quot;

A series of coordinated attacks by Rohingya insurgents on Myanmar security forces on Friday, in the north of Myanmar's Rakhine State, has triggered a crackdown by Myanmar forces that has sent a stream of Rohingya villagers fleeing to Bangladesh

Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh from fighting in Myanmar face the growing danger of sickness and attempts by the Bangladesh authorities to send them home despite a UN appeal that they be allowed to stay. A series of coordinated attacks by Rohingya insurgents on Myanmar security forces on Friday, in the north of Myanmar's Rakhine State, has triggered a crackdown by Myanmar forces that has sent a stream of Rohingya villagers fleeing to Bangladesh. It also sparked a mass evacuation of thousands of Buddhist residents of the area. At least 109 people have been killed in the clashes in Myanmar, most of them militants but including members of the security forces and civilians. Bangladesh which already hosts more than 400,000 Rohingya who have fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar since the early 1990s, has said it will not accept any more. Bangladesh's border guards are trying to block the Rohingyas from crossing in, and aim to round up and send back those who do. Border guard officials told Reuters they had sent back about 550 Rohingya since Monday, via the Naf river that separates the two countries, despite an appeal by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for Dhaka to allow Rohingya to seek safety. An estimated 5,000 Rohingya have been able to cross into Bangladesh over the past few days, most slipping in at night over the land border near the Bangladeshi village of Gumdhum. Many are sick and at least six have died after crossing in, an aid worker said, adding that fear of being caught and sent back meant some refused to seek help. "What we're seeing is that many Rohingya people are sick," said the worker with an international agency in Bangladesh who declined to be identified or have his agency identified. "This is because they got stuck at the border before they could enter. It's mostly women and children." "We're making all out efforts but a rapid response is needed," the aid worker said. "Some are refraining from getting treatment to avoid arrest." Thousands of Rohingya are stranded in the no man's land between the two countries, trying to get into Bangladesh, aid workers and fellow Rohingya say. Ambush The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar and classified as illegal immigrants, despite claiming roots there that go back centuries. They are marginalised and their communities occasionally subjected to communal violence. A Rohingya militant group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, which Myanmar has declared a terrorist organisation, claimed responsibility for the Friday attacks. It was also behind a similar though smaller series of attacks in October, which also triggered a tough Myanmar army response. In a video posted online on Monday, ARSA leader Ata Ullah warned Myanmar against "oppressing" Rohingya and vowed to keep fighting to protect the community. The treatment of about 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar has become the biggest challenge for national leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been accused by Western critics of not speaking out on behalf of the long-persecuted minority. Myanmar said late on Monday that a total of 45 insurgent bombs went off on Sunday and Monday. It also blamed the insurgents for torching seven villages, one outpost, and two parts of Maungdaw town. Attackers ambushed security forces with small arms and machetes on Monday, and one policeman and one civilian were wounded, the government said in a statement. Satellite imagery analysed by New York-based Human Rights Watch showed widespread burnings in at least 10 areas in northern Rakhine State since the Aug. 25 militant raids, the group said in a statement. "This new satellite data should cause concern and prompt action by donors and UN agencies to urge the Burmese government to reveal the extent of ongoing destruction in Rakhine State," said Phil Robertson, the group's deputy Asia director. "Shuffling all the blame on insurgents doesn't spare the Burmese government from its international obligations to stop abuses and investigate alleged violations."

Despite UN appeal Bangladesh restricts entry of Rohingya Muslims

India is in talks with Bangladesh and Myanmar about its plan to deport around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims it says are living in the country illegally, a government spokesman said on Friday, with state governments told to form task forces for the purpose.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh since the early 1990s, with some of them then crossing over a porous border into Hindu-majority India.

New Delhi says only around 14,000 of the Rohingya living in India are registered with the UN refugee agency, making the rest illegal and liable to be sent back. India is not a signatory to UN conventions on refugees and no national law covers it.

&quot;These things are being discussed at diplomatic level with both Bangladesh and Myanmar,&quot; Interior Ministry spokesman K.S. Dhatwalia said.

&quot;More clarity will emerge at an appropriate time.&quot;

Junior Interior Minister Kiren Rijiju told parliament on Wednesday the federal government had directed state governments to &quot;constitute task forces at district levels to identify and deport the illegally staying foreign nationals&quot;.

Rijiju was in Myanmar recently to attend an event, although it was not clear if he discussed the Rohingya issue.

Officials in Myanmar could not be contacted immediately for comment.

Amnesty International has said deporting and abandoning the Rohingya would be &quot;unconscionable&quot;.

The Indian office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it was &quot;trying to find the facts&quot; about New Delhi&#39;s plans to deport them.

Rohingya are generally reviled in India, where its 1.3 billion people are fighting for resources and job opportunities. Nationalist, anti-Islamic sentiments have also fuelled hatred towards them.

More than 75,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since Oct. 9 after an insurgent group called Harakah al-Yaqin attacked Myanmar border police posts, prompting a huge security crackdown in which troops have been accused of murder and rape of Rohingya civilians.

A senior government official in Bangladesh, which has complained of being burdened by the heavy flow of refugees, said New Delhi was helping it solve the crisis.

The Rohingya in India live mainly in Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi in the north, Hyderabad in the south, and Rajasthan in the west.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India&#39;s only Muslim-majority state, drew widespread condemnation in April when it threatened to launch an &quot;identify and kill movement&quot; if the government did not deport Rohingya settlers there.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh since the early 1990s, with some of them then crossing over a porous border into Hindu-majority India

India is in talks with Bangladesh and Myanmar about its plan to deport around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims it says are living in the country illegally, a government spokesman said on Friday, with state governments told to form task forces for the purpose. Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh since the early 1990s, with some of them then crossing over a porous border into Hindu-majority India. New Delhi says only around 14,000 of the Rohingya living in India are registered with the UN refugee agency, making the rest illegal and liable to be sent back. India is not a signatory to UN conventions on refugees and no national law covers it. "These things are being discussed at diplomatic level with both Bangladesh and Myanmar," Interior Ministry spokesman K.S. Dhatwalia said. "More clarity will emerge at an appropriate time." Junior Interior Minister Kiren Rijiju told parliament on Wednesday the federal government had directed state governments to "constitute task forces at district levels to identify and deport the illegally staying foreign nationals". Rijiju was in Myanmar recently to attend an event, although it was not clear if he discussed the Rohingya issue. Officials in Myanmar could not be contacted immediately for comment. Amnesty International has said deporting and abandoning the Rohingya would be "unconscionable". The Indian office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it was "trying to find the facts" about New Delhi's plans to deport them. Rohingya are generally reviled in India, where its 1.3 billion people are fighting for resources and job opportunities. Nationalist, anti-Islamic sentiments have also fuelled hatred towards them. More than 75,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since Oct. 9 after an insurgent group called Harakah al-Yaqin attacked Myanmar border police posts, prompting a huge security crackdown in which troops have been accused of murder and rape of Rohingya civilians. A senior government official in Bangladesh, which has complained of being burdened by the heavy flow of refugees, said New Delhi was helping it solve the crisis. The Rohingya in India live mainly in Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi in the north, Hyderabad in the south, and Rajasthan in the west. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, drew widespread condemnation in April when it threatened to launch an "identify and kill movement" if the government did not deport Rohingya settlers there.

India in talks with Myanmar, Bangladesh to deport 40,000 Rohingya

On 23 June, the Myanmar army released 67 child soldiers from its ranks. A &lsquo;child soldier&rsquo; can be broadly defined as &ldquo;any person under 18 years of age who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity &ndash; including, but not limited to, combatants, cooks, porters, messengers and anyone accompanying such groups, other than family members.&rdquo;

Myanmar (or Burma) is no stranger to child soldiers. In fact, it was once believed that there are more child soldiers in Burma than any other country in the world. The phenomenon has been all but ubiquitous amongst not just the several Armed Non-State Actors (ANSAs) in the country, but also the state&rsquo;s own armed forces. With little to no scrutiny and accountability of state policy for the longest time, thanks to the erstwhile Burmese military junta&rsquo;s stonewalling diplomatic conduct, children continued to be recruited in large numbers both into regular army ranks and ethnic militias with impunity.

But, a lot has changed over time.

Since the release of a damning report (My Gun Was As Tall As Me) by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in 2002, consistent and unrelenting pressure from the United Nations (UN) and international advocacy groups - most prominently Child Soldiers International (CSI) - has slowly but surely unraveled Myanmar&rsquo;s cancerous problem of child soldiers. This in turn, has made obfuscating the phenomenon much more difficult for the Burmese state. The process has been given a further boost on account of certain historic developments in the country&rsquo;s political system since the beginning of this decade.

Child Soldiers and The State

Recruitment of children into the state&rsquo;s armed forces began at an unspecified time period after the military took over the reins of the country in the 1962 coup. However, the issue began to receive international attention only after the release of the 2002 HRW report. Subsequent monitoring by the UN and other international organisations revealed sinister patterns of child recruitment into the state&rsquo;s armed forces, including but not limited to use of civilian brokers to garner recruits and direct conscription of homeless or orphaned children from public spaces by military personnel. Yet, till date, there exists no credible quantification of underage recruitment by the army.

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It was once believed that there are more child soldiers in Burma than any other country in the world (Representational Image: Left-Flickr Manhhai, Right-Pierre Holtz / UNICEF CAR) (Others)
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As far as engaging the military government on this issue was concerned, the UN took the lead. It successfully pressured the junta into forming the Committee for the Prevention of Military Recruitment of Underage Children (CPMRUC) in 2004. Following this, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to Myanmar continued to report regularly on this matter, pursuant to a crucial Security Council resolution on children in armed conflict passed in 2005 (Res 1612). This further intensified international pressure on Burma&rsquo;s military government, which had continued to remain complicit in the problem despite self-prohibition. The UN&rsquo;s Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMR) on Grave Violations against Children provided the solid empirical backing for it&rsquo;s case.

Ultimately, after years of painstaking negotiations, a concrete protection regime came into being in June 2012 with the signing of the Joint Action Plan (JAP) between the government and the UN. The landmark agreement gave the armed forces 18 months to &ldquo;take measurable steps to release and reintegrate children within their ranks and prevent their recruitment in the future&rdquo;. Since then, the country&rsquo;s 500,000-strong army - Tatmadaw Kyi - has released more than 745 child soldiers from its ranks while the Border Guards Forces (BGF) has decommissioned 1 (as of March 2016). Needless to say, these are not insignificant figures and shows the effectiveness of targeted external intervention on such issues.

Notwithstanding the above, it is crucial to note that through the past decade, the UN has dealt with restricted access and monitoring issues insofar as keeping tab of child recruitment into the state army is concerned. However, as time passed by and the international child protection regime got stronger, the Myanmar government gradually became more responsive and open to scrutiny, perhaps unavoidably so. Without this willingness shown by the junta the JAP would have remained a fantasy for core stakeholders.

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<h5>There is literally no national legislation in Myanmar that comprehensively bars or criminalises underage military recruitment by both the state and non-state armies</h5>
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Child Soldiers and Non-State Actors

It has been far more difficult to monitor and prevent underage recruitment by ANSAs, which in Myanmar&rsquo;s case, are the many Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) fighting for federal autonomy. This is because of the disparate and unorganised nature of the non-state domain, or the lack of a centralised authority that can be held accountable. Nonetheless, the UN and other international organisations have recorded multiple instances of ANSAs recruiting child soldiers.

In 2007, the Secretary General released a report outlining the use of child soldiers by ANSAs. Another one in 2014 enlisted seven ANSAs as active recruiters of underage soldiers, while noting that the UN had begun to &ldquo;re-engage with armed groups&rdquo;. This list includes the two largest EAOs in Myanmar - the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Next year, in 2015, CSI released an extensive report titled A Dangerous Refuge, which delineated in great detail, underage recruitment by KIA. It stated that the group&rsquo;s ranks consisted of close to 1000 child soldiers, mostly in the age group of 14-17. The HRW&rsquo;s 2011 World Report too stated that ANSAs were actively involved in child soldier recruitment.

Insofar as bringing the non-state domain to account is concerned, some progress has been made. In November 2007, the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP)/Karenni Army announced that it had signed a &lsquo;Deed of Commitment&rsquo; (DoC) to not recruit child soldiers, after consultation with UNICEF. In 2012, KNPP, along with another EAO, New Mon State Party (NMSP)/Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA), signed another DoC with the Swiss-based organisation Geneva Call.

Beyond these two EAOs, none of the other ANSAs have officially committed to not recruit underage soldiers. This is significant because the set of non-compliant EAOs includes those with disproportionately large armies, high strike capacities, and deep political influence. Without their cooperation, Myanmar will find it impossible to weed out the problem.

The Blessing of Democracy

Myanmar embarked on a landmark project of democratic transition, first in 2011 under the quasi-civilian, reformist administration of Thein Sein, and then in 2016 under the democratically-elected, civilian administration led by the National League for Democracy (NLD). The fact that this gradual opening up of Myanmar&rsquo;s polity has offered new avenues for collective resolution of the child soldiers issue is undeniable.

But, how has democracy changed Burma?

For starters, it has created a favourable environment for peaceful settlement of the six decades-long armed conflict. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, right after coming to power last year, spelt out her administration&rsquo;s topmost priority very clearly: &lsquo;national reconciliation&rsquo;. To this end, her government created a massive dialogue structure with the intention of addressing the myriad political, economic, social, and security-related issues that await resolution.

Democracy has also ushered in a coterie of hitherto nonexistent stakeholders into Myanmar, including international organisations, advocacy groups, and the free press that were earlier kept at bay by the military junta. More importantly, the peace process itself is being steered by external donor interests that primarily intend to ostensibly stabilise and democratise the politics of Burma for foreign investments to flow in. This naturally translates into much deeper scrutiny of state policy than ever before. In simple words, the Burmese state can no longer get away with arbitrary policymaking and brash unilateral action.

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<h5>Myanmar is yet to ratify the UN&rsquo;s Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict</h5>
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All of this means that the so-called international community is now better postured to work with Nay Pyi Taw to permanently and sustainably end recruitment of child soldiers. Needless to say, it will be easier to engage with a democratic leadership &ndash; that too one with a Nobel Peace Prize &ndash; than with an authoritarian regime. Furthermore, under the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) of 2015, which is the foundation of the peace process, and the revamped 21st Century Panglong Conference (21CPC), the government has been able to bring almost all armed groups together for talks, notwithstanding the fact that several of them haven&rsquo;t signed the NCA yet.

Thus, the government itself is now better equipped to engage with core stakeholders to find a workable solution.

Roadblocks and the Way Ahead

There are several critical factors that continue to hold Myanmar back from ending underage recruitment into state and non-state armies.

First, Myanmar is yet to ratify the UN&rsquo;s Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. Doing so would render the country far more accountable to the global protection regime than it is now.

Second, the military still commands considerable influence over decision-making in post-2015 Myanmar. Besides the 25 per cent&nbsp;parliamentary seat share that it enjoys, it has absolute say over defence- and security-related agendas. What more, the civilian-military dynamic in Burma is far more volatile than it appears, with the temporally entrenched authority of the Tatmadaw remaining intact despite the coming of a democratically-elected government. Thus, engaging the military over the issue of child soldiers from within continues to be no less difficult than before, especially pressuring it to provide greater access to its rank and file.

Third, the political dialogue and reconciliation process has not, so far, directly featured the &lsquo;child soldiers&rsquo; issue. The administration seems to be far more concerned with top-down reconciliation rather than comprehensively addressing all the lateral phenomena that the 60-years long armed conflict has spurred, like underage recruitment. While the NCA, with its hard-set ceasefire terms, could serve as an effective instrument to establish a solid protection regime for underage conscription of soldiers, the 21CPC could be a legitimate multi-stakeholder forum to routinely discuss developments in this aspect. But, none of it has happened yet.

Fourth, monitoring underage recruitment by ANSAs remains grossly limited, thus preventing holistic action. There is no JAP-like agreement with ANSAs, and the DoC signed by two EAOs is yet to see replication by others. This is even more so in context of the ongoing conflict in non-ceasefire areas in the north - Kachin and Shan states - which has witnessed massive internal displacement due to frequent fighting between the Tatmadaw and EAOs like KIA, TNLA, and MNDAA. Needless to say, a displaced and disenfranchised local population can serve as a great recruitment pool for armed groups under stress, thus enhancing capacities for underage conscription.

Fifth, there is literally no national legislation in Myanmar that comprehensively bars or criminalises underage military recruitment by both the state and non-state armies. What more, the 1993 Child Rights law defines a child as a person under the age of 16, in contravention of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (to which Myanmar is a state party). The issue of underage recruitment into armies is wholly missing from this law. Hopefully, a thorough revision of this crucial piece of legislation to provide greater legal clarity on this issue will be undertaken by the elected parliament in the coming days.

Thus, while there has been considerable progress to end underage recruitment of soldiers in Myanmar, broader and deeper engagement is required to put a total stop to it. With a newly-installed democratic system, both domestic and international stakeholders must act fast to engage transparently on this issue so as to find a permanent and failsafe solution.

Myanmar, which reportedly has the largest number of child soldiers, releases 67 of such soldiers from its army today.

On 23 June, the Myanmar army released 67 child soldiers from its ranks. A ‘child soldier’ can be broadly defined as “any person under 18 years of age who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity – including, but not limited to, combatants, cooks, porters, messengers and anyone accompanying such groups, other than family members.” Myanmar (or Burma) is no stranger to child soldiers. In fact, it was once believed that there are more child soldiers in Burma than any other country in the world. The phenomenon has been all but ubiquitous amongst not just the several Armed Non-State Actors (ANSAs) in the country, but also the state’s own armed forces. With little to no scrutiny and accountability of state policy for the longest time, thanks to the erstwhile Burmese military junta’s stonewalling diplomatic conduct, children continued to be recruited in large numbers both into regular army ranks and ethnic militias with impunity. But, a lot has changed over time. Since the release of a damning report (My Gun Was As Tall As Me) by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in 2002, consistent and unrelenting pressure from the United Nations (UN) and international advocacy groups - most prominently Child Soldiers International (CSI) - has slowly but surely unraveled Myanmar’s cancerous problem of child soldiers. This in turn, has made obfuscating the phenomenon much more difficult for the Burmese state. The process has been given a further boost on account of certain historic developments in the country’s political system since the beginning of this decade. Child Soldiers and The State Recruitment of children into the state’s armed forces began at an unspecified time period after the military took over the reins of the country in the 1962 coup. However, the issue began to receive international attention only after the release of the 2002 HRW report. Subsequent monitoring by the UN and other international organisations revealed sinister patterns of child recruitment into the state’s armed forces, including but not limited to use of civilian brokers to garner recruits and direct conscription of homeless or orphaned children from public spaces by military personnel. Yet, till date, there exists no credible quantification of underage recruitment by the army. It was once believed that there are more child soldiers in Burma than any other country in the world (Representational Image: Left-Flickr Manhhai, Right-Pierre Holtz / UNICEF CAR) (Others) × As far as engaging the military government on this issue was concerned, the UN took the lead. It successfully pressured the junta into forming the Committee for the Prevention of Military Recruitment of Underage Children (CPMRUC) in 2004. Following this, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict to Myanmar continued to report regularly on this matter, pursuant to a crucial Security Council resolution on children in armed conflict passed in 2005 (Res 1612). This further intensified international pressure on Burma’s military government, which had continued to remain complicit in the problem despite self-prohibition. The UN’s Country Task Force on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMR) on Grave Violations against Children provided the solid empirical backing for it’s case. Ultimately, after years of painstaking negotiations, a concrete protection regime came into being in June 2012 with the signing of the Joint Action Plan (JAP) between the government and the UN. The landmark agreement gave the armed forces 18 months to “take measurable steps to release and reintegrate children within their ranks and prevent their recruitment in the future”. Since then, the country’s 500,000-strong army - Tatmadaw Kyi - has released more than 745 child soldiers from its ranks while the Border Guards Forces (BGF) has decommissioned 1 (as of March 2016). Needless to say, these are not insignificant figures and shows the effectiveness of targeted external intervention on such issues. Notwithstanding the above, it is crucial to note that through the past decade, the UN has dealt with restricted access and monitoring issues insofar as keeping tab of child recruitment into the state army is concerned. However, as time passed by and the international child protection regime got stronger, the Myanmar government gradually became more responsive and open to scrutiny, perhaps unavoidably so. Without this willingness shown by the junta the JAP would have remained a fantasy for core stakeholders. There is literally no national legislation in Myanmar that comprehensively bars or criminalises underage military recruitment by both the state and non-state armies × Child Soldiers and Non-State Actors It has been far more difficult to monitor and prevent underage recruitment by ANSAs, which in Myanmar’s case, are the many Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) fighting for federal autonomy. This is because of the disparate and unorganised nature of the non-state domain, or the lack of a centralised authority that can be held accountable. Nonetheless, the UN and other international organisations have recorded multiple instances of ANSAs recruiting child soldiers. In 2007, the Secretary General released a report outlining the use of child soldiers by ANSAs. Another one in 2014 enlisted seven ANSAs as active recruiters of underage soldiers, while noting that the UN had begun to “re-engage with armed groups”. This list includes the two largest EAOs in Myanmar - the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Next year, in 2015, CSI released an extensive report titled A Dangerous Refuge, which delineated in great detail, underage recruitment by KIA. It stated that the group’s ranks consisted of close to 1000 child soldiers, mostly in the age group of 14-17. The HRW’s 2011 World Report too stated that ANSAs were actively involved in child soldier recruitment. Insofar as bringing the non-state domain to account is concerned, some progress has been made. In November 2007, the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP)/Karenni Army announced that it had signed a ‘Deed of Commitment’ (DoC) to not recruit child soldiers, after consultation with UNICEF. In 2012, KNPP, along with another EAO, New Mon State Party (NMSP)/Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA), signed another DoC with the Swiss-based organisation Geneva Call. Beyond these two EAOs, none of the other ANSAs have officially committed to not recruit underage soldiers. This is significant because the set of non-compliant EAOs includes those with disproportionately large armies, high strike capacities, and deep political influence. Without their cooperation, Myanmar will find it impossible to weed out the problem. The Blessing of Democracy Myanmar embarked on a landmark project of democratic transition, first in 2011 under the quasi-civilian, reformist administration of Thein Sein, and then in 2016 under the democratically-elected, civilian administration led by the National League for Democracy (NLD). The fact that this gradual opening up of Myanmar’s polity has offered new avenues for collective resolution of the child soldiers issue is undeniable. But, how has democracy changed Burma? For starters, it has created a favourable environment for peaceful settlement of the six decades-long armed conflict. State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, right after coming to power last year, spelt out her administration’s topmost priority very clearly: ‘national reconciliation’. To this end, her government created a massive dialogue structure with the intention of addressing the myriad political, economic, social, and security-related issues that await resolution. Democracy has also ushered in a coterie of hitherto nonexistent stakeholders into Myanmar, including international organisations, advocacy groups, and the free press that were earlier kept at bay by the military junta. More importantly, the peace process itself is being steered by external donor interests that primarily intend to ostensibly stabilise and democratise the politics of Burma for foreign investments to flow in. This naturally translates into much deeper scrutiny of state policy than ever before. In simple words, the Burmese state can no longer get away with arbitrary policymaking and brash unilateral action. Myanmar is yet to ratify the UN’s Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict × All of this means that the so-called international community is now better postured to work with Nay Pyi Taw to permanently and sustainably end recruitment of child soldiers. Needless to say, it will be easier to engage with a democratic leadership – that too one with a Nobel Peace Prize – than with an authoritarian regime. Furthermore, under the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) of 2015, which is the foundation of the peace process, and the revamped 21st Century Panglong Conference (21CPC), the government has been able to bring almost all armed groups together for talks, notwithstanding the fact that several of them haven’t signed the NCA yet. Thus, the government itself is now better equipped to engage with core stakeholders to find a workable solution. Roadblocks and the Way Ahead There are several critical factors that continue to hold Myanmar back from ending underage recruitment into state and non-state armies. First, Myanmar is yet to ratify the UN’s Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. Doing so would render the country far more accountable to the global protection regime than it is now. Second, the military still commands considerable influence over decision-making in post-2015 Myanmar. Besides the 25 per cent parliamentary seat share that it enjoys, it has absolute say over defence- and security-related agendas. What more, the civilian-military dynamic in Burma is far more volatile than it appears, with the temporally entrenched authority of the Tatmadaw remaining intact despite the coming of a democratically-elected government. Thus, engaging the military over the issue of child soldiers from within continues to be no less difficult than before, especially pressuring it to provide greater access to its rank and file. Third, the political dialogue and reconciliation process has not, so far, directly featured the ‘child soldiers’ issue. The administration seems to be far more concerned with top-down reconciliation rather than comprehensively addressing all the lateral phenomena that the 60-years long armed conflict has spurred, like underage recruitment. While the NCA, with its hard-set ceasefire terms, could serve as an effective instrument to establish a solid protection regime for underage conscription of soldiers, the 21CPC could be a legitimate multi-stakeholder forum to routinely discuss developments in this aspect. But, none of it has happened yet. Fourth, monitoring underage recruitment by ANSAs remains grossly limited, thus preventing holistic action. There is no JAP-like agreement with ANSAs, and the DoC signed by two EAOs is yet to see replication by others. This is even more so in context of the ongoing conflict in non-ceasefire areas in the north - Kachin and Shan states - which has witnessed massive internal displacement due to frequent fighting between the Tatmadaw and EAOs like KIA, TNLA, and MNDAA. Needless to say, a displaced and disenfranchised local population can serve as a great recruitment pool for armed groups under stress, thus enhancing capacities for underage conscription. Fifth, there is literally no national legislation in Myanmar that comprehensively bars or criminalises underage military recruitment by both the state and non-state armies. What more, the 1993 Child Rights law defines a child as a person under the age of 16, in contravention of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (to which Myanmar is a state party). The issue of underage recruitment into armies is wholly missing from this law. Hopefully, a thorough revision of this crucial piece of legislation to provide greater legal clarity on this issue will be undertaken by the elected parliament in the coming days. Thus, while there has been considerable progress to end underage recruitment of soldiers in Myanmar, broader and deeper engagement is required to put a total stop to it. With a newly-installed democratic system, both domestic and international stakeholders must act fast to engage transparently on this issue so as to find a permanent and failsafe solution.

'My gun is taller than me': Child soldiering in Myanmar is far from over

Myanmar&#39;s military on Thursday said it has found the wreckage of a plane in the Andaman Sea that went missing with more than 120 people on board, including children.

&quot;We have found the plane and some dead bodies this morning about 8.25 am (0155 GMT),&quot; a spokesman for the military&#39;s information team told AFP.

Ships and planes scoured the coast of southern Myanmar on Wednesday after a military aircraft vanished over the Andaman Sea with 122 soldiers, family members and crew on board.

The Chinese-made Y-8-200F transport plane had left the coastal town of Myeik at 1:06 p.m (0636 GMT), heading north to Yangon, Myanmar&#39;s largest city. It was on a weekly military flight that was scheduled to stop at several coastal towns along the way.

The plane had lost contact 29 minutes after takeoff while flying at 18,000 feet (5,485 metres) over the Andaman Sea, about 43 miles (70 km) west of the town of Dawei.

(WION with agency inputs)

Myanmar's military on Thursday said it has found the wreckage of a plane in the Andaman Sea that went missing with more than 120 people on board

Myanmar's military on Thursday said it has found the wreckage of a plane in the Andaman Sea that went missing with more than 120 people on board, including children. "We have found the plane and some dead bodies this morning about 8.25 am (0155 GMT)," a spokesman for the military's information team told AFP. Ships and planes scoured the coast of southern Myanmar on Wednesday after a military aircraft vanished over the Andaman Sea with 122 soldiers, family members and crew on board. The Chinese-made Y-8-200F transport plane had left the coastal town of Myeik at 1:06 p.m (0636 GMT), heading north to Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. It was on a weekly military flight that was scheduled to stop at several coastal towns along the way. The plane had lost contact 29 minutes after takeoff while flying at 18,000 feet (5,485 metres) over the Andaman Sea, about 43 miles (70 km) west of the town of Dawei. (WION with agency inputs)

Myanmar military finds crashed plane, dead bodies in Andaman Sea

Debris from a missing Myanmar military plane carrying more than 100 people was found in the Andaman Sea late Wednesday, a local official and an air force source told AFP.

&quot;Now they have found pieces of the damaged plane in the sea 136 miles (218 km) away from Dawei city,&quot; said Naing Lin Zaw, a tourism official in Myeik city, adding that the navy was still searching the sea.

An air force source requesting anonymity confirmed a navy search and rescue ship had found pieces of the plane.

A Myanmar military plane carrying 116 people went missing on Wednesday between the southern city of Myeik and Yangon, according to the office of the army chief and an airport source.

&quot;Communication was lost suddenly at about 1:35 pm (07:05 GMT) when it reached about 20 miles west of Dawei town,&quot; the commander-in-chief&#39;s office said in a statement.

An airport source said the plane was carrying 105 passengers and 11 crew when it took off.

The passengers were believed to mainly be family members of military men based in the coastal region.

&quot;We think it was a technical failure. Weather is fine there,&quot; the source told AFP, asking not to be named, adding there was no news of the plane so far.&nbsp;

(AFP)

'Now they have found pieces of the damaged plane in the sea 136 miles (218 km) away from Dawei city,' said Naing Lin Zaw, a tourism official in Myeik city

Debris from a missing Myanmar military plane carrying more than 100 people was found in the Andaman Sea late Wednesday, a local official and an air force source told AFP. "Now they have found pieces of the damaged plane in the sea 136 miles (218 km) away from Dawei city," said Naing Lin Zaw, a tourism official in Myeik city, adding that the navy was still searching the sea. An air force source requesting anonymity confirmed a navy search and rescue ship had found pieces of the plane. A Myanmar military plane carrying 116 people went missing on Wednesday between the southern city of Myeik and Yangon, according to the office of the army chief and an airport source. "Communication was lost suddenly at about 1:35 pm (07:05 GMT) when it reached about 20 miles west of Dawei town," the commander-in-chief's office said in a statement. An airport source said the plane was carrying 105 passengers and 11 crew when it took off. The passengers were believed to mainly be family members of military men based in the coastal region. "We think it was a technical failure. Weather is fine there," the source told AFP, asking not to be named, adding there was no news of the plane so far. (AFP)

Debris from missing Myanmar military plane found in sea: Official

Myanmar&#39;s military has ended&nbsp;a &quot;clearance operation&quot; in the country&#39;s troubled Rakhine State, government officials said, ending a four-month sweep that the United Nations said may amount to crimes against humanity and possibly ethnic cleansing.

The security operation had been under way since nine policemen were killed in attacks on security posts near the Bangladesh border on October 9. Almost 69,000 Rohingyas have since fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh, according to UN&nbsp;estimates.

The violence has renewed international criticism that Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has done too little to help members of the Muslim minority. The government led by Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has denied almost all allegations of human rights abuses in Rakhine, including mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya Muslims, and said the operation was a lawful counterinsurgency campaign.

&quot;The situation in northern Rakhine has now stabilised. The clearance operations undertaken by the military have ceased, the curfew has been eased and there remains only a police presence to maintain the peace,&quot; newly-appointed national security advisor Thaung Tun was quoted as saying in a statement released by State Counselor&#39;s Office late on Wednesday.

&quot;There can be no excuse for excessive force, for abuses of fundamental human rights and basic criminality. We have shown that we are ready to act where there is clear evidence of abuses,&quot; he told a group of diplomats and UN&nbsp;representatives in a meeting, according to the statement.

Two senior officials from Myanmar&#39;s President Office and the Ministry of Information confirmed that the army operation in northern Rakhine had ended but said the military force remained in the region to maintain &quot;peace and security&quot;.

Myanmar military did not immediately respond to requests for comments.

The military and police have separately set up a team to investigate alleged crimes after Suu Kyi promised to probe UN&nbsp;allegations of atrocities against the Muslim minority.

More than 1,000 Rohingya Muslims may have been killed in the crackdown, two senior UN&nbsp;officials dealing with refugees fleeing the violence told Reuters last week.

A Myanmar presidential spokesman has said the latest reports from military commanders were that fewer than 100 people had been killed in the counterinsurgency operation.

Rohingya Muslims have faced discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for generations. They are regarded as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, entitled only to limited rights and some 1.1 million of them live in apartheid-like conditions in northwestern Myanmar.

(Reuters)

According to UN, almost 69,000 Rohingyas have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh since the operation started

Myanmar's military has ended a "clearance operation" in the country's troubled Rakhine State, government officials said, ending a four-month sweep that the United Nations said may amount to crimes against humanity and possibly ethnic cleansing. The security operation had been under way since nine policemen were killed in attacks on security posts near the Bangladesh border on October 9. Almost 69,000 Rohingyas have since fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh, according to UN estimates. The violence has renewed international criticism that Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has done too little to help members of the Muslim minority. The government led by Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has denied almost all allegations of human rights abuses in Rakhine, including mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya Muslims, and said the operation was a lawful counterinsurgency campaign. "The situation in northern Rakhine has now stabilised. The clearance operations undertaken by the military have ceased, the curfew has been eased and there remains only a police presence to maintain the peace," newly-appointed national security advisor Thaung Tun was quoted as saying in a statement released by State Counselor's Office late on Wednesday. "There can be no excuse for excessive force, for abuses of fundamental human rights and basic criminality. We have shown that we are ready to act where there is clear evidence of abuses," he told a group of diplomats and UN representatives in a meeting, according to the statement. Two senior officials from Myanmar's President Office and the Ministry of Information confirmed that the army operation in northern Rakhine had ended but said the military force remained in the region to maintain "peace and security". Myanmar military did not immediately respond to requests for comments. The military and police have separately set up a team to investigate alleged crimes after Suu Kyi promised to probe UN allegations of atrocities against the Muslim minority. More than 1,000 Rohingya Muslims may have been killed in the crackdown, two senior UN officials dealing with refugees fleeing the violence told Reuters last week. A Myanmar presidential spokesman has said the latest reports from military commanders were that fewer than 100 people had been killed in the counterinsurgency operation. Rohingya Muslims have faced discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for generations. They are regarded as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, entitled only to limited rights and some 1.1 million of them live in apartheid-like conditions in northwestern Myanmar. (Reuters)

Myanmar ends 'military operation' against Rohingyas, UN claims may be ethnic cleansing

Pope&nbsp;Francis on Wednesday spoke out over the alleged maltreatment of Myanmar&#39;s Rohingya Muslim minority, who he said were being &quot;tortured and killed&quot; for their faith.

The pontiff used his midweek address to describe the Rohingya as &quot;good and peaceful people&quot; who &quot;have suffered for years.&quot;

Francis offered a special prayer for &quot;brothers and sisters&quot; as he alluded to a UN human rights report last week which accused Myanmar&#39;s military of likely killing hundreds of Rohingya in an ongoing crackdown.

The report by the UN&#39;s rights body OHCHR said the accounts of torture, murder and gang-rape at the hands of security forces were so severe they may amount to ethnic cleansing.

Almost 70,000 Rohingya are reported to have fled to Bangladesh since the army launched &quot;clearance operations&quot; four months ago to find Rohingya militants accused of attacking police border posts.

An estimated 22,000 more have fled to the Myanmar interior according to the UN report, based on 200 interviews and including brutal testimonies of children butchered with knives while their mothers were raped by security forces.

The Rohingya, who number more than one million concentrated mainly in coastal Rakhine state, are treated as virtual foreigners in Myanmar, which is 90 percent Buddhist. They are not accorded citizenship even if their families have lived there for generations.

Myanmar authorities on Tuesday insisted that a state commission investigating allegations of its military abusing Rohingya was focused on the &quot;truth&quot;.

But critics have rejected the state-appointed body, which is led by retired general and Vice President Myint Swe and includes no Muslims, as toothless and lacking in credibility.

The UN&#39;s top official on preventing genocide, Adama Dieng, Monday dubbed the commission as &quot;not a credible option&quot; to investigate the abuse claims.

&quot;I am concerned that the government commission... found nothing to substantiate the claims, while OHCHR... found an overwhelming number of testimonies and other forms of evidence,&quot; Dieng said.

Pope&nbsp;Francis also used his Wednesday address to call on governments to combat child trafficking, which he described as &quot;a plague&quot; and a &quot;shameful and intolerable&quot; crime.

(AFP)

The pontiff used his midweek address to describe the Rohingya as 'good and peaceful people' who 'have suffered for years'

Pope Francis on Wednesday spoke out over the alleged maltreatment of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority, who he said were being "tortured and killed" for their faith. The pontiff used his midweek address to describe the Rohingya as "good and peaceful people" who "have suffered for years." Francis offered a special prayer for "brothers and sisters" as he alluded to a UN human rights report last week which accused Myanmar's military of likely killing hundreds of Rohingya in an ongoing crackdown. The report by the UN's rights body OHCHR said the accounts of torture, murder and gang-rape at the hands of security forces were so severe they may amount to ethnic cleansing. Almost 70,000 Rohingya are reported to have fled to Bangladesh since the army launched "clearance operations" four months ago to find Rohingya militants accused of attacking police border posts. An estimated 22,000 more have fled to the Myanmar interior according to the UN report, based on 200 interviews and including brutal testimonies of children butchered with knives while their mothers were raped by security forces. The Rohingya, who number more than one million concentrated mainly in coastal Rakhine state, are treated as virtual foreigners in Myanmar, which is 90 percent Buddhist. They are not accorded citizenship even if their families have lived there for generations. Myanmar authorities on Tuesday insisted that a state commission investigating allegations of its military abusing Rohingya was focused on the "truth". But critics have rejected the state-appointed body, which is led by retired general and Vice President Myint Swe and includes no Muslims, as toothless and lacking in credibility. The UN's top official on preventing genocide, Adama Dieng, Monday dubbed the commission as "not a credible option" to investigate the abuse claims. "I am concerned that the government commission... found nothing to substantiate the claims, while OHCHR... found an overwhelming number of testimonies and other forms of evidence," Dieng said. Pope Francis also used his Wednesday address to call on governments to combat child trafficking, which he described as "a plague" and a "shameful and intolerable" crime. (AFP)

Pope speaks out on atrocities against Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims

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