Whether all insurgencies are acts of terrorism (or not) is an issue that has many facets: from political to moral, conceptual to propaganda. The political and moral angles tend to get a greater share of attention in public discourse. For instance, according to the official Indian version, Kashmiri militants are the Jihadi terrorist but to many others, they are freedom fighters. Another example is Palestinian militants, who are treated polar opposite ways by Israel and the Arab countries. UK and Spain see IRA and Basque separatists as a terrorist, whereas many Irish and Basque countrymen differ.&nbsp;

There are hundreds of such examples, where one category of interest groups or countries view certain activities as terrorism and others don&#39;t. Those who don&#39;t, often consider it as a legitimate armed political act called &lsquo;insurgency&rsquo;. The insurgency can evolve into a war for independence or greater political power. This can also transform into a civil war.&nbsp;

While both insurgents and terrorists advocate violence as a form of political act, there are fundamental differences between the two. The most important difference lies in the target of violence; security forces employed against the insurgents as well as physical structures and facilities related to security operation are widely considered to be the legitimate target for insurgents.&nbsp;

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<h5>While both insurgents and terrorists advocate violence as a form of political act, there are fundamental differences between the two.</h5>
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Insurgents live within their focus community like a fish in the water and often aim to graduate their struggle to a full-fledged war of independence or autonomy through the attrition of authority&rsquo;s military and administrative strength. Political scientists and security experts consider insurgency, to a considerable extent, as a natural outcome of long or intensive oppression of a community. In that sense, insurgents enjoy the support and political legitimacy to a certain extent.&nbsp;

Unlike the insurgents, however, the terrorists also target civilians and their properties. Jihadi terrorists bring in a new angle in the complexity. They aim to establish a regressive Islamic theocracy in their targeted land.&nbsp;

An insurgency is a natural tool of political bargain and rearrangements. But insurgency, with the basic principle of not targeting civilians, remains till date a legitimate and sometimes essential instrument of political wish, particularly in constrained and difficult environments. Centralised powers of a preexisting state tend to resist the formation of new political units by their own logic, propaganda and even force; yet widespread and spontaneous insurgencies do represent people&rsquo;s will where there are no other fair channels of its surfacing. In fact, there are recent examples of de facto states or political units achieved through armed struggle doing relatively better for its people e.g. Somali Land, Iraqi Kurdistan, Abkhazia etc.&nbsp;

&nbsp;In spite of the existing distinctions, sometimes, it is difficult to distinguish between insurgency and terrorism. This mistake in categorisation happens when a well-known insurgent group or isolated fractions of such a group carry out terror attacks, killing innocent civilians. While, it&#39;s important to judge them by their acts, picking a few incidents rather than a trend to make a conclusive judgment about a group could be a big mistake.&nbsp;

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Often it so happens that because of their semi-formal and loose command structure, insurgent groups fail to exercise required control over all its dispersed components. Sometimes, they make ideological mistakes and later correct themselves. Premature de-legitimisation of an insurgent group and branding it as a terror outfit is unfair and dangerous as it might still want to be a regular insurgent group and not a terrorist outfit. It might keep receiving support from its population. Wrong and mistimed ascribing into categories may push it towards full-fledged terrorism. Even allowing terrorists to come back to the regular fold, with conditions and if they demonstrate enough commitment, should not be off the table as it might prevent further violence on civilians. &nbsp;

Neutral and liberal media and civil society have a great responsibility in promoting the truth and fair assessments. Governments in developing world often tend to adopt a narrative that suits their conservative and uninformed vote bank. That brings more bad than good. Mistreatment of a complex matter often engenders other related problems and issues.&nbsp;

Indian media and civil society vis-&agrave;-vis Rohingya are a case in point on the matter. While Indian government and the right-wing elements of Indian society and media are hastily linking the entire two million strong Rohingya population to terrorism, reputed media houses are asking difficult yet legitimate questions about the principles behind India&rsquo;s policy towards Rohingya struggle and refugee.&nbsp;

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<h5>Were all the Tamils who took refuge in India terrorists?</h5>
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Were all the Tamils who took refuge in India terrorists? Didn&rsquo;t India negotiate with the LTTE to find out a political settlement? What about harbouring and arming Bangladeshi freedom fighters of 1971? On the other hand, some big-name journalists are showing cracks in their resolve and giving into the official Myanmar line with regards to Rohingya. For instance, Praveen Swami of the Indian Express visited Cox&rsquo;s Bazar and wrote an article to establish remote, unsure and weak terror links of Rohingya insurgents, ignoring completely the several decades long intense political and economic persecution of these people. Rohingyas are an utterly disorganised community for these reasons.&nbsp;

The deprivation of Rohingya was so high in Rakhine that they were not given admission beyond primary schools. If one has noticed how the BBC exposed the raw theatrics of Burmese military even in that stage-managed tour of journalists in northern Rakhine, the viewers would know that the Myanmar authority is the most doubtful source of any credible information. They are also trying to take advantage of the global anti-Jihadi sentiment caused by the events in the Middle-East and the Af-Pak region.&nbsp;

Making a category swap between a terrorist and an insurgent carries a dangerous trap. It can lead us to forget how oppression breeds insurgency. In our bid to focus on the violence, we forget the oppression part and the need to ameliorate such suffocating situation so that insurgencies don&#39;t transform itself into violent acts of terrorism.

&nbsp;

While both insurgency and terrorism advocate violence as a form of political act, there are fundamental differences between the two.

Whether all insurgencies are acts of terrorism (or not) is an issue that has many facets: from political to moral, conceptual to propaganda. The political and moral angles tend to get a greater share of attention in public discourse. For instance, according to the official Indian version, Kashmiri militants are the Jihadi terrorist but to many others, they are freedom fighters. Another example is Palestinian militants, who are treated polar opposite ways by Israel and the Arab countries. UK and Spain see IRA and Basque separatists as a terrorist, whereas many Irish and Basque countrymen differ. There are hundreds of such examples, where one category of interest groups or countries view certain activities as terrorism and others don't. Those who don't, often consider it as a legitimate armed political act called ‘insurgency’. The insurgency can evolve into a war for independence or greater political power. This can also transform into a civil war. While both insurgents and terrorists advocate violence as a form of political act, there are fundamental differences between the two. The most important difference lies in the target of violence; security forces employed against the insurgents as well as physical structures and facilities related to security operation are widely considered to be the legitimate target for insurgents. While both insurgents and terrorists advocate violence as a form of political act, there are fundamental differences between the two. × Insurgents live within their focus community like a fish in the water and often aim to graduate their struggle to a full-fledged war of independence or autonomy through the attrition of authority’s military and administrative strength. Political scientists and security experts consider insurgency, to a considerable extent, as a natural outcome of long or intensive oppression of a community. In that sense, insurgents enjoy the support and political legitimacy to a certain extent. Unlike the insurgents, however, the terrorists also target civilians and their properties. Jihadi terrorists bring in a new angle in the complexity. They aim to establish a regressive Islamic theocracy in their targeted land. An insurgency is a natural tool of political bargain and rearrangements. But insurgency, with the basic principle of not targeting civilians, remains till date a legitimate and sometimes essential instrument of political wish, particularly in constrained and difficult environments. Centralised powers of a preexisting state tend to resist the formation of new political units by their own logic, propaganda and even force; yet widespread and spontaneous insurgencies do represent people’s will where there are no other fair channels of its surfacing. In fact, there are recent examples of de facto states or political units achieved through armed struggle doing relatively better for its people e.g. Somali Land, Iraqi Kurdistan, Abkhazia etc. In spite of the existing distinctions, sometimes, it is difficult to distinguish between insurgency and terrorism. This mistake in categorisation happens when a well-known insurgent group or isolated fractions of such a group carry out terror attacks, killing innocent civilians. While, it's important to judge them by their acts, picking a few incidents rather than a trend to make a conclusive judgment about a group could be a big mistake. It is difficult to distinguish between insurgency and terrorism. This mistake in categorisation happens when a well-known insurgent group or isolated fractions of such a group carry out terror attacks. × Often it so happens that because of their semi-formal and loose command structure, insurgent groups fail to exercise required control over all its dispersed components. Sometimes, they make ideological mistakes and later correct themselves. Premature de-legitimisation of an insurgent group and branding it as a terror outfit is unfair and dangerous as it might still want to be a regular insurgent group and not a terrorist outfit. It might keep receiving support from its population. Wrong and mistimed ascribing into categories may push it towards full-fledged terrorism. Even allowing terrorists to come back to the regular fold, with conditions and if they demonstrate enough commitment, should not be off the table as it might prevent further violence on civilians. Neutral and liberal media and civil society have a great responsibility in promoting the truth and fair assessments. Governments in developing world often tend to adopt a narrative that suits their conservative and uninformed vote bank. That brings more bad than good. Mistreatment of a complex matter often engenders other related problems and issues. Indian media and civil society vis-à-vis Rohingya are a case in point on the matter. While Indian government and the right-wing elements of Indian society and media are hastily linking the entire two million strong Rohingya population to terrorism, reputed media houses are asking difficult yet legitimate questions about the principles behind India’s policy towards Rohingya struggle and refugee. Were all the Tamils who took refuge in India terrorists? × Were all the Tamils who took refuge in India terrorists? Didn’t India negotiate with the LTTE to find out a political settlement? What about harbouring and arming Bangladeshi freedom fighters of 1971? On the other hand, some big-name journalists are showing cracks in their resolve and giving into the official Myanmar line with regards to Rohingya. For instance, Praveen Swami of the Indian Express visited Cox’s Bazar and wrote an article to establish remote, unsure and weak terror links of Rohingya insurgents, ignoring completely the several decades long intense political and economic persecution of these people. Rohingyas are an utterly disorganised community for these reasons. The deprivation of Rohingya was so high in Rakhine that they were not given admission beyond primary schools. If one has noticed how the BBC exposed the raw theatrics of Burmese military even in that stage-managed tour of journalists in northern Rakhine, the viewers would know that the Myanmar authority is the most doubtful source of any credible information. They are also trying to take advantage of the global anti-Jihadi sentiment caused by the events in the Middle-East and the Af-Pak region. Making a category swap between a terrorist and an insurgent carries a dangerous trap. It can lead us to forget how oppression breeds insurgency. In our bid to focus on the violence, we forget the oppression part and the need to ameliorate such suffocating situation so that insurgencies don't transform itself into violent acts of terrorism.

Rohingyas: Insurgents or Terrorists

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday that the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/un-chief-tells-myanmar-to-end-nightmare-as-19-drown-in-rohingya-boat-capsize-20821" target="_blank">Rohingya</a>&nbsp;are intruders and not refugees.

ANI reported him as saying it is very sad and condemnable that some people in the country feel sympathetic to their cause and are concerned for them.&nbsp;

ANI reported him as saying, &quot;The Indian government has cleared its status on Rohingyas. Rohingyas from Myanmar in India are not refugees, they are the intruders. This is very condemnable and sad that some people are showing concern towards them, as in Myanmar many innocent Hindus were killed brutally, and it was also found that they (Rohingyas) have a link with terrorist organisations.&quot;

There are some 40,000 Rohingya registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as living in India.&nbsp;

The government had earlier this month filed an affidavit with the Supreme Court saying some Rohingya living here had links with Pakistani terrorist groups and were a national security risk.&nbsp;

He added that it was very sad and condemnable that some people in the country feel sympathetic to their cause and are concerned for them

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday that the Rohingya are intruders and not refugees. ANI reported him as saying it is very sad and condemnable that some people in the country feel sympathetic to their cause and are concerned for them. ANI reported him as saying, "The Indian government has cleared its status on Rohingyas. Rohingyas from Myanmar in India are not refugees, they are the intruders. This is very condemnable and sad that some people are showing concern towards them, as in Myanmar many innocent Hindus were killed brutally, and it was also found that they (Rohingyas) have a link with terrorist organisations." There are some 40,000 Rohingya registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as living in India. The government had earlier this month filed an affidavit with the Supreme Court saying some Rohingya living here had links with Pakistani terrorist groups and were a national security risk.

Yogi Adityanath: Rohingya are intruders, not refugees

A Rohingya refugee has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India, denying the Indian government&#39;s claims that the Muslim community from Myanmar has terror links with Pakistan&#39;s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Islamic State.

The affidavit states that&nbsp;the Rohingyas should&nbsp;be treated at par with Tibetan and Sri Lankan refugees, a media outlet reported.

The affidavit accessed by the media outlet dismisses the claims of the Indian government that the Muslim community is a threat to the country, stating that Rohingyas have not indulged in any anti-national activity.

The affidavit relies upon Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti&#39;s statement in the state assembly that &quot;no Rohingya has been found involved in militancy-related incidents.&quot;

The top court is already hearing a Public Interest Petition (PIL) filed by two Rohingya refugees that challenge the government&rsquo;s decision to deport around 40,000 people of the community.&nbsp;

The Indian government earlier told the top court that besides being a security threat because of links to the ISI and the IS, Rohingyas will exhaust natural resources meant for Indian citizens resulting in hostility and social tensions.

A Rohingya refugee has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India, denying the Indian government's claims that the Muslim community from Myanmar has terror links with the ISI and the Islamic State

A Rohingya refugee has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court of India, denying the Indian government's claims that the Muslim community from Myanmar has terror links with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Islamic State. The affidavit states that the Rohingyas should be treated at par with Tibetan and Sri Lankan refugees, a media outlet reported. The affidavit accessed by the media outlet dismisses the claims of the Indian government that the Muslim community is a threat to the country, stating that Rohingyas have not indulged in any anti-national activity. The affidavit relies upon Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti's statement in the state assembly that "no Rohingya has been found involved in militancy-related incidents." The top court is already hearing a Public Interest Petition (PIL) filed by two Rohingya refugees that challenge the government’s decision to deport around 40,000 people of the community. The Indian government earlier told the top court that besides being a security threat because of links to the ISI and the IS, Rohingyas will exhaust natural resources meant for Indian citizens resulting in hostility and social tensions.

No links with IS, ISI: Rohingya refugee to Supreme Court

Bangladesh&#39;s prime minister on Thursday proposed creating UN-supervised safe zones inside Myanmar to protect Rohingya Muslims who are fleeing a military crackdown to seek refuge in her country.

&quot;These people must be able to return to their homeland in safety, security and dignity,&quot; Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the UN General Assembly.

The United Nations says more than 420,000 Rohingya have fled for safety to Bangladesh in the face of an army campaign in northern Rakhine state that includes rape and the burning of villages.

The military operation was sparked by attacks carried out by Rohingya militants on police posts on August 25.

Hasina accused Myanmar authorities of laying landmines on the border to prevent the Rohingyas from returning and said the United Nations must take immediate measures to find a solution to the crisis.

The prime minister laid out a five-point plan that called for the protection of the Rohingyas in &quot;safe zones that could be created inside Myanmar under UN supervision.&quot;

The United Nations has described the military operation as &quot;ethnic cleansing&quot; and French President Emmanuel Macron went further, describing it as a &quot;genocide.&quot;

Myanmar must stop the violence and &quot;the practice of ethnic cleansing&quot;, agree to allow a UN fact-finding mission, ensure the return of refugees and abide by a report that recommends citizenship for the Rohingya, said Hasina. They currently lack it.

There has been mounting international outrage over the plight of the Rohingya, prompting the UN Security Council this month to call for an end to the violence.

The creation of such &quot;safe areas&quot; would require the approval of the Security Council where China, a strong supporter of Myanmar&#39;s former junta, has veto power.

The 1.1-million strong Rohingya people have suffered years of discrimination in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship even though many have longstanding roots in the country.&nbsp;

The recent exodus of Rohingya has brought the number of refugees from Rakhine living in Bangladesh to over 800,000, said the prime minister.

Sheikh Hasina accused Myanmar authorities of laying landmines on the border to prevent the Rohingyas from returning

Bangladesh's prime minister on Thursday proposed creating UN-supervised safe zones inside Myanmar to protect Rohingya Muslims who are fleeing a military crackdown to seek refuge in her country. "These people must be able to return to their homeland in safety, security and dignity," Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the UN General Assembly. The United Nations says more than 420,000 Rohingya have fled for safety to Bangladesh in the face of an army campaign in northern Rakhine state that includes rape and the burning of villages. The military operation was sparked by attacks carried out by Rohingya militants on police posts on August 25. Hasina accused Myanmar authorities of laying landmines on the border to prevent the Rohingyas from returning and said the United Nations must take immediate measures to find a solution to the crisis. The prime minister laid out a five-point plan that called for the protection of the Rohingyas in "safe zones that could be created inside Myanmar under UN supervision." The United Nations has described the military operation as "ethnic cleansing" and French President Emmanuel Macron went further, describing it as a "genocide." Myanmar must stop the violence and "the practice of ethnic cleansing", agree to allow a UN fact-finding mission, ensure the return of refugees and abide by a report that recommends citizenship for the Rohingya, said Hasina. They currently lack it. There has been mounting international outrage over the plight of the Rohingya, prompting the UN Security Council this month to call for an end to the violence. The creation of such "safe areas" would require the approval of the Security Council where China, a strong supporter of Myanmar's former junta, has veto power. The 1.1-million strong Rohingya people have suffered years of discrimination in Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship even though many have longstanding roots in the country. The recent exodus of Rohingya has brought the number of refugees from Rakhine living in Bangladesh to over 800,000, said the prime minister.

Bangladesh PM proposes UN-supervised 'safe zones' for Rohingyas in Myanmar

Myanmar insisted Wednesday to the United Nations that the crisis in violence-torn Rakhine state was easing after heavy international criticism.

Myanmar&#39;s second vice president Henry Van Thio addressed the annual UN General Assembly in the place of leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who a day earlier delivered a speech calling for patience.

Van Thio&#39;s remarks are even less likely than Suu Kyi&#39;s to mollify global concerns as he questioned the reasons for the flight of members of the Rohingya Muslim minority.

&quot;I am happy to inform you that the situation has improved,&quot; Van Thio said in his address, saying there have been no clashes since September 5.

&quot;Accordingly, we are concerned by reports that the numbers of Muslims crossing into Bangladesh remain unabated. We would need to find out the reason for this exodus,&quot; he said.

The United Nations says more than 420,000 Rohingya have fled for safety to Bangladesh in the face of an army campaign that includes the burning of villages and rape.&nbsp;

French President Emmanuel Macron earlier Wednesday described the campaign as genocide.

Van Thio did not use the term Rohingya, referring to them simply as Muslims. The Rohingya are widely reviled in the Buddhist-majority country.

Van Thio noted that the army campaign came in response to a rebel attack and said that non-Muslims have also suffered.

But Myanmar&#39;s third-in-command thanked foreign countries for support, not referring directly to their criticism.

&quot;Humanitarian assistance is our first priority. We are committed to ensuring that aid is received by all those in need, without discrimination,&quot; Van Thio said.

Suu Kyi&#39;s stance has disheartened human rights groups who had campaigned for her freedom during the Nobel Peace Prize winner&#39;s 15 years under house arrest by a military junta.

But analysts say that Suu Kyi, while now the country&#39;s leader, may not be able to curb the army even if she took the political risk of speaking out.

Van Thio's remarks are even less likely than Suu Kyi's to mollify global concerns as he questioned the reasons for the flight of members of the Rohingya Muslim minority

Myanmar insisted Wednesday to the United Nations that the crisis in violence-torn Rakhine state was easing after heavy international criticism. Myanmar's second vice president Henry Van Thio addressed the annual UN General Assembly in the place of leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who a day earlier delivered a speech calling for patience. Van Thio's remarks are even less likely than Suu Kyi's to mollify global concerns as he questioned the reasons for the flight of members of the Rohingya Muslim minority. "I am happy to inform you that the situation has improved," Van Thio said in his address, saying there have been no clashes since September 5. "Accordingly, we are concerned by reports that the numbers of Muslims crossing into Bangladesh remain unabated. We would need to find out the reason for this exodus," he said. The United Nations says more than 420,000 Rohingya have fled for safety to Bangladesh in the face of an army campaign that includes the burning of villages and rape. French President Emmanuel Macron earlier Wednesday described the campaign as genocide. Van Thio did not use the term Rohingya, referring to them simply as Muslims. The Rohingya are widely reviled in the Buddhist-majority country. Van Thio noted that the army campaign came in response to a rebel attack and said that non-Muslims have also suffered. But Myanmar's third-in-command thanked foreign countries for support, not referring directly to their criticism. "Humanitarian assistance is our first priority. We are committed to ensuring that aid is received by all those in need, without discrimination," Van Thio said. Suu Kyi's stance has disheartened human rights groups who had campaigned for her freedom during the Nobel Peace Prize winner's 15 years under house arrest by a military junta. But analysts say that Suu Kyi, while now the country's leader, may not be able to curb the army even if she took the political risk of speaking out.

Myanmar insists to UN that Rakhine improving

Bangladesh&nbsp;Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she spoke to U.S. President Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;on Monday about Rohingya Muslims flooding into her country&nbsp;fromMyanmar, but she&nbsp;expects&nbsp;no&nbsp;help&nbsp;from&nbsp;him as he has made clear how he feels about&nbsp;refugees.

As&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;left an event he hosted at the United Nations on reforming the world body, Hasina said she stopped him for a few minutes.

&quot;He just asked how is&nbsp;Bangladesh? I said &#39;it&#39;s doing very well, but the only problem that we have is the&nbsp;refugees&nbsp;from&nbsp;Myanmar&#39;,&quot; Hasina told Reuters in an interview. &quot;But he didn&#39;t make any comment about&nbsp;refugees.&quot;

A&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;military response to insurgent attacks last month in the country&#39;s Rakhine state sent more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims&nbsp;fleeing&nbsp;to neighboring&nbsp;Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded as ethnic cleansing.

The&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;government&nbsp;says&nbsp;about 400 people have been killed in the fighting.

Hasina, who is due to address the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, said&nbsp;Trump&#39;s stance on&nbsp;refugees&nbsp;was clear, so it was not worth asking him for&nbsp;help&nbsp;with the Rohingya Muslim&nbsp;refugees.

&quot;Already America declared that they will not allow any&nbsp;refugees,&quot; she said. &quot;What I can expectfrom&nbsp;them, and especially (the) president. He already declared his mind ... so why I should ask?&quot;

&quot;Bangladesh&nbsp;is not a rich country ... but if we can feed 160 million people, another 500 or 700,000 people, we can do it.&quot;

A senior White House official was unaware of the exchange but said&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;was deeply interested in the subject and that &quot;he would definitely engage if it were brought up.&quot;

Shortly after taking office in January,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;tried to put a 120-day halt on the U.S. refugee program, bar Syrian&nbsp;refugees&nbsp;indefinitely and impose a 90-day suspension on people&nbsp;from&nbsp;six predominantly Muslim countries.

&quot;The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!&quot;&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;said on Twitter on Friday.

Trump&nbsp;says&nbsp;the move is needed to prevent terrorist attacks and allow the government to put in place more stringent vetting procedures. There is a key Supreme Court hearing next month on the constitutionality of his executive order on the ban.

About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants&nbsp;from&nbsp;Bangladesh.

Hasina said she wanted to see more international political pressure on&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;to allow the Rohingya to return.

&quot;(Myanmar&nbsp;leader Aung San Suu Kyi) should agree that these people belong to her country and that&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;is their country. They should take them back,&quot; she said. &quot;These people are suffering.&quot;

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of international criticism for not stopping the violence.Myanmar&nbsp;national security adviser Thaung Tun told Reuters on Monday that&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;would ensure those who left their homes could return, but there was &quot;a process we have to discuss.&quot;

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged the&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;government to end military operations, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes.

&quot;People are still at risk of being attacked or killed, humanitarian aid is not reaching the people who need it, and innocent civilians are still&nbsp;fleeing&nbsp;across the border to&nbsp;Bangladesh,&quot; Haley said after Britain hosted a meeting on the crisis in New York on Monday.

A U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, Patrick Murphy, is due in&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;this week.

As?Trump?left an event he hosted at the United Nations on reforming the world body, Hasina said she stopped him for a few minutes.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said she spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday about Rohingya Muslims flooding into her country fromMyanmar, but she expects no help from him as he has made clear how he feels about refugees. As Trump left an event he hosted at the United Nations on reforming the world body, Hasina said she stopped him for a few minutes. "He just asked how is Bangladesh? I said 'it's doing very well, but the only problem that we have is the refugees from Myanmar'," Hasina told Reuters in an interview. "But he didn't make any comment about refugees." A Myanmar military response to insurgent attacks last month in the country's Rakhine state sent more than 410,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh, escaping what the United Nations has branded as ethnic cleansing. The Myanmar government says about 400 people have been killed in the fighting. Hasina, who is due to address the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, said Trump's stance on refugees was clear, so it was not worth asking him for help with the Rohingya Muslim refugees. "Already America declared that they will not allow any refugees," she said. "What I can expectfrom them, and especially (the) president. He already declared his mind ... so why I should ask?" "Bangladesh is not a rich country ... but if we can feed 160 million people, another 500 or 700,000 people, we can do it." A senior White House official was unaware of the exchange but said Trump was deeply interested in the subject and that "he would definitely engage if it were brought up." Shortly after taking office in January, Trump tried to put a 120-day halt on the U.S. refugee program, bar Syrian refugees indefinitely and impose a 90-day suspension on people from six predominantly Muslim countries. "The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!" Trump said on Twitter on Friday. Trump says the move is needed to prevent terrorist attacks and allow the government to put in place more stringent vetting procedures. There is a key Supreme Court hearing next month on the constitutionality of his executive order on the ban. About a million Rohingya lived in Rakhine State until the recent violence. Most face travel restrictions and are denied citizenship in a country where many Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Hasina said she wanted to see more international political pressure on Myanmar to allow the Rohingya to return. "(Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi) should agree that these people belong to her country and that Myanmar is their country. They should take them back," she said. "These people are suffering." Nobel laureate Suu Kyi has faced a barrage of international criticism for not stopping the violence.Myanmar national security adviser Thaung Tun told Reuters on Monday that Myanmar would ensure those who left their homes could return, but there was "a process we have to discuss." U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley urged the Myanmar government to end military operations, grant humanitarian access, and commit to aiding the safe return of civilians to their homes. "People are still at risk of being attacked or killed, humanitarian aid is not reaching the people who need it, and innocent civilians are still fleeing across the border to Bangladesh," Haley said after Britain hosted a meeting on the crisis in New York on Monday. A U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, Patrick Murphy, is due in Myanmar this week.

Bangladesh PM says expects no help from Trump on refugees fleeing Myanmar

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

Violence in Myanmar has not only pushed Rohingya Muslims but also Hindus from their homes to Bangladesh. I visited&nbsp;the Hindu communities that have sheltered the migrants in the border areas across Cox&#39;s Bazar

We have heard about Rohingya Muslims coming from Myanmar to Bangladesh fleeing the persecution that they have been facing for decades but we have not heard much about the Hindus of Myanmar who have been facing similar persecution and have sought shelter in Bangladesh in&nbsp;places across Ukhiya in Cox&#39;s Bazar. One of such persons is Chitta Ranjan Pal.&nbsp;

In speaking to WION, Chitta Ranjan Pal, Hindu migrant from Burma pointed out, &quot;An insurgent group has waged a movement against the government in Myanmar. We have moved to Bangladesh in the face of their atrocities. This group had confined us for eight days in our village and did not let us go outside for groceries or even get water. After some days we got to know that they killed many Burmese Hindus at Fakirabazar, two kilometres away from our village.&nbsp;

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<h5>After some days we got to know that they killed many Burmese Hindus at Fakirabazar, two kilometres away from our village.&nbsp;</h5>
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We came to know that they killed 86 people in that village and the same happened in another Hindu village. We discussed among ourselves and then asked them do you plan to kill us after keeping us hostage, instead set us free and we will leave. They were nice to us for a few days after we talked but later we learnt that they planned to kill us by bombing.

The Burmese government gave us a card which says we are Indian. We go by that card.&quot;

An estimated 500 Hindus have fled to Bangladesh since the violence erupted in Myanmar.&nbsp;Like the Rohingya Muslims are identified as Bengali settlers in Myanmar, the Myanmar government identifies the Hindus of its land as Indians.

Their misery of identification does not end there. Since the violence&nbsp;erupted in the last week of August, insurgent groups in Myanmar have killed at least 86 members of their community.

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<h5>A Muslim family helped us escape to this camp because we gave them word that we will convert to their religion.</h5>
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Another Hindu migrant from Burma, Rekha Dhar had the most gruesome account of the fate they encountered. Speaking to WION, she said, &quot;They hacked my husband to death, looted my house and husband&rsquo;s jewellery store. They had black outfits and faces covered so that we could not&nbsp;identify them. They killed all the people of my area and kept only eight of us women alive. We fled our homes to this place. A Muslim family helped us escape to this camp because we gave them word that we will convert to their religion. My husband had a gold store where he had 30 tolas gold, all of which they looted. Even the little jewellery we had on ourselves or the children, they looted them too. Eight of us women came here but the men could not. They killed them all.&nbsp;

We came here walking for two days across the hills. They saved us because we promised to let go of our belief. If we refused, they would have killed us.&quot; &nbsp;

As scores of Myanmar nationals, including Rohingyas and Hindus flee homes in masses to Bangladesh, prices of essentials such as rice and materials for makeshift huts, such as plastic sheets and bamboos have increased in the bordering regions.

The cost of living has increased in Ukhiya. This is one of the most impoverished areas in Bangladesh. The camps of plastic sheets and bamboos are increasing in number every passing hour. This has also made business for some locals here. On the other end, the Myanmar migrants say they are being pushed into misery for no fault of theirs. Whether it is the insurgents or the Myanmar army, these people are simply victims of a bloody civil war in Myanmar.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Like the Rohingya Muslims are identified as Bengali settlers in Myanmar, the Myanmar government identifies the Hindus of its land as Indians.

Violence in Myanmar has not only pushed Rohingya Muslims but also Hindus from their homes to Bangladesh. I visited the Hindu communities that have sheltered the migrants in the border areas across Cox's Bazar We have heard about Rohingya Muslims coming from Myanmar to Bangladesh fleeing the persecution that they have been facing for decades but we have not heard much about the Hindus of Myanmar who have been facing similar persecution and have sought shelter in Bangladesh in places across Ukhiya in Cox's Bazar. One of such persons is Chitta Ranjan Pal. In speaking to WION, Chitta Ranjan Pal, Hindu migrant from Burma pointed out, "An insurgent group has waged a movement against the government in Myanmar. We have moved to Bangladesh in the face of their atrocities. This group had confined us for eight days in our village and did not let us go outside for groceries or even get water. After some days we got to know that they killed many Burmese Hindus at Fakirabazar, two kilometres away from our village. After some days we got to know that they killed many Burmese Hindus at Fakirabazar, two kilometres away from our village. × We came to know that they killed 86 people in that village and the same happened in another Hindu village. We discussed among ourselves and then asked them do you plan to kill us after keeping us hostage, instead set us free and we will leave. They were nice to us for a few days after we talked but later we learnt that they planned to kill us by bombing. The Burmese government gave us a card which says we are Indian. We go by that card." An estimated 500 Hindus have fled to Bangladesh since the violence erupted in Myanmar. Like the Rohingya Muslims are identified as Bengali settlers in Myanmar, the Myanmar government identifies the Hindus of its land as Indians. Their misery of identification does not end there. Since the violence erupted in the last week of August, insurgent groups in Myanmar have killed at least 86 members of their community. A Muslim family helped us escape to this camp because we gave them word that we will convert to their religion. × Another Hindu migrant from Burma, Rekha Dhar had the most gruesome account of the fate they encountered. Speaking to WION, she said, "They hacked my husband to death, looted my house and husband’s jewellery store. They had black outfits and faces covered so that we could not identify them. They killed all the people of my area and kept only eight of us women alive. We fled our homes to this place. A Muslim family helped us escape to this camp because we gave them word that we will convert to their religion. My husband had a gold store where he had 30 tolas gold, all of which they looted. Even the little jewellery we had on ourselves or the children, they looted them too. Eight of us women came here but the men could not. They killed them all. We came here walking for two days across the hills. They saved us because we promised to let go of our belief. If we refused, they would have killed us." As scores of Myanmar nationals, including Rohingyas and Hindus flee homes in masses to Bangladesh, prices of essentials such as rice and materials for makeshift huts, such as plastic sheets and bamboos have increased in the bordering regions. The cost of living has increased in Ukhiya. This is one of the most impoverished areas in Bangladesh. The camps of plastic sheets and bamboos are increasing in number every passing hour. This has also made business for some locals here. On the other end, the Myanmar migrants say they are being pushed into misery for no fault of theirs. Whether it is the insurgents or the Myanmar army, these people are simply victims of a bloody civil war in Myanmar.

Hindus of Myanmar suffer as much as the Rohingyas

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

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein today flayed any attempts by India to deport Rohingyas to Myanmar when the ethnic minority community is facing violence in their country.&nbsp;

Speaking at the opening of a Human Rights Council session here, Zeid also referred to the killing of activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh, observing that she &quot;tirelessly addressed the corrosive effect of sectarianism and hatred.&quot;&nbsp;

India&#39;s Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, on September 5 said <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingyas-are-illegal-immigrants-in-india-kiren-rijiju-19911" target="_blank">Rohingyas were illegal immigrants and stand to be deported</a>. He said nobody should preach New Delhi on the matter as India absorbed the maximum number of refugees in the world.&nbsp;

Some 40,000 Rohingyas have settled in India, and 16,000 of them have received refugee documentation, the UN estimates.&nbsp;

&quot;I deplore current measures in India to deport Rohingyas at a time of such violence against them in their country,&quot; Zeid said.&nbsp;

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted Rijiju had reportedly said that because India is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention it &quot;can dispense with international law on the matter, together with basic human compassion.&quot;&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/nowhere-men-the-rohingya-of-myanmar-45" target="_blank">Nowhere men The Rohingya of Myanmar</a>

&quot;However, by virtue of customary law, its ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the obligations of due process and the universal principle of non-refoulement, India cannot carry out collective expulsions, or return people to a place where they risk torture or other serious violations,&quot; the UN human rights chief said.&nbsp;

The violence in Myanmar began in August when Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Rakhine, killing 12 security personnel. The military said it responded to the attacks and denies it is targeting civilians.&nbsp;

More than 300,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since then.&nbsp;

Touching upon cow vigilantism in India, Zeid said: &quot;The current wave of violent, and often lethal, mob attacks against people under the pretext of protecting the lives of cows is alarming.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;People who speak out for fundamental human rights are also threatened,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

Lankesh was gunned down last week in Bengaluru. Unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen pumped bullets into 55- year-old Gauri as she left her car after reaching her home.&nbsp;

Zeid said he was &quot;heartened by the subsequent marches calling for protection of the right to freedom of expression, and by demonstrations in 12 cities to protest the lynchings.&quot;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

According to UN estimates, some 40,000 Rohingyas have settled in India while 16,000 have received refugee documentation

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein today flayed any attempts by India to deport Rohingyas to Myanmar when the ethnic minority community is facing violence in their country. Speaking at the opening of a Human Rights Council session here, Zeid also referred to the killing of activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh, observing that she "tirelessly addressed the corrosive effect of sectarianism and hatred." India's Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, on September 5 said Rohingyas were illegal immigrants and stand to be deported. He said nobody should preach New Delhi on the matter as India absorbed the maximum number of refugees in the world. Some 40,000 Rohingyas have settled in India, and 16,000 of them have received refugee documentation, the UN estimates. "I deplore current measures in India to deport Rohingyas at a time of such violence against them in their country," Zeid said. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights noted Rijiju had reportedly said that because India is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention it "can dispense with international law on the matter, together with basic human compassion." Watch: Nowhere men The Rohingya of Myanmar "However, by virtue of customary law, its ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the obligations of due process and the universal principle of non-refoulement, India cannot carry out collective expulsions, or return people to a place where they risk torture or other serious violations," the UN human rights chief said. The violence in Myanmar began in August when Rohingya militants attacked police posts in Rakhine, killing 12 security personnel. The military said it responded to the attacks and denies it is targeting civilians. More than 300,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since then. Touching upon cow vigilantism in India, Zeid said: "The current wave of violent, and often lethal, mob attacks against people under the pretext of protecting the lives of cows is alarming." "People who speak out for fundamental human rights are also threatened," he said. Lankesh was gunned down last week in Bengaluru. Unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen pumped bullets into 55- year-old Gauri as she left her car after reaching her home. Zeid said he was "heartened by the subsequent marches calling for protection of the right to freedom of expression, and by demonstrations in 12 cities to protest the lynchings."

UN human rights chief deplores India's move to deport Rohingyas

UN human rights chief said today the situation in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/india-asks-myanmar-to-handle-situation-in-rakhine-state-with-maturity-20034">Myanmar is &quot;textbook example of ethnic cleansing&quot;</a> even as several thousand Rohingyas continued to flee Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine state.

Adding to the misery, UN spokesman said <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/270000-rohingya-have-fled-myanmar-in-two-weeks-un-20008">an estimated 313,000 Rohingya have arrived</a> in Bangladesh since August 25.

Zeid bin Ra&rsquo;ad Zeid al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said: &quot;Because Myanmar has refused access to human rights investigators the current situation cannot yet be fully assessed, but the situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing&quot;.

&quot;We have received multiple reports and satellite imagery of security forces and local militia burning Rohingya villages, and consistent accounts of extrajudicial killings, including shooting fleeing civilians,&quot; Zeid al-Hussein added. 
&nbsp; 
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called the Myanmar government to &quot;end its current cruel military operation, with accountability for all violations that have occurred and to reverse the pattern of severe and widespread discrimination against the Rohingya population&quot;.

He said he was particularly &quot;appalled&quot; by reports that Myanmar authorities had begun laying landmines along the border with Bangladesh to prevent those who fled from returning.

Zeid criticised the Myanmar government and asked them to &quot;stop pretending that the Rohingyas are setting fire to their own homes and laying waste to their own villages.&quot;

&quot;This complete denial of reality is doing great damage to the international standing of a government which, until recently, benefited from immense goodwill,&quot; he declared.

Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama has written to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Myanmar.

&quot;I appeal to you and your fellow leaders to reach out to all sections of society to try to restore friendly relations throughout the population in a spirit of peace and reconciliation,&quot; Dalai Lama said in his&nbsp;letter to Suu Kyi.

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Zeid al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights slammed the Myanmar government over its handling of the Rohingya crisis

UN human rights chief said today the situation in Myanmar is "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" even as several thousand Rohingyas continued to flee Myanmar's Rakhine state. Adding to the misery, UN spokesman said an estimated 313,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh since August 25. Zeid bin Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said: "Because Myanmar has refused access to human rights investigators the current situation cannot yet be fully assessed, but the situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing". "We have received multiple reports and satellite imagery of security forces and local militia burning Rohingya villages, and consistent accounts of extrajudicial killings, including shooting fleeing civilians," Zeid al-Hussein added. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called the Myanmar government to "end its current cruel military operation, with accountability for all violations that have occurred and to reverse the pattern of severe and widespread discrimination against the Rohingya population". He said he was particularly "appalled" by reports that Myanmar authorities had begun laying landmines along the border with Bangladesh to prevent those who fled from returning. Zeid criticised the Myanmar government and asked them to "stop pretending that the Rohingyas are setting fire to their own homes and laying waste to their own villages." "This complete denial of reality is doing great damage to the international standing of a government which, until recently, benefited from immense goodwill," he declared. Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama has written to Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Myanmar. "I appeal to you and your fellow leaders to reach out to all sections of society to try to restore friendly relations throughout the population in a spirit of peace and reconciliation," Dalai Lama said in his letter to Suu Kyi.

Rohingya situation textbook example of ethnic cleansing: UN Human Rights Commission

Bangladesh&#39;s foreign minister said on Sunday that Myanmar was waging &quot;genocide&quot; against the Rohingyas in the violence-racked Rakhine state which had led to an exodus of nearly 300,000 of the Muslim minorities to the country.

&quot;The international community is saying it is a genocide. We also say it is a genocide,&quot; AH Mahmood Ali told the press after meeting Western and Arab diplomats and the heads of UN agencies in Dhaka.

The foreign minister met the diplomats and stakeholders to seek support for a political solution and humanitarian aid for the Rohingyas.

He told the diplomats that some 300,000 Rohingyas had fled to Bangladesh in the past two weeks, taking the total number of such refugees to over 700,000.

&quot;This is creating a huge challenge for Bangladesh in terms of providing shelter as well as other humanitarian assistance to them,&quot; a foreign ministry statement said.

At least two diplomats who attended the briefings said the minister told them as many as 3,000 people may have been killed in the latest round of violence.&nbsp;

As per the UN, 294,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Bangladesh since attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar security forces on August 25 sparked a major military backlash in the state.

Tens of thousands more are believed to be on the move inside Rakhine, AFP reports.

Myanmar, which has a majority of Buddhists, does not recognise its stateless Muslim Rohingya community. It labels them &quot;Bengalis&quot; -- illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

 
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Bangladesh's foreign minister said the violence in Rakhine state had led to an exodus of nearly 300,000 of the Muslim minorities to the country

Bangladesh's foreign minister said on Sunday that Myanmar was waging "genocide" against the Rohingyas in the violence-racked Rakhine state which had led to an exodus of nearly 300,000 of the Muslim minorities to the country. "The international community is saying it is a genocide. We also say it is a genocide," AH Mahmood Ali told the press after meeting Western and Arab diplomats and the heads of UN agencies in Dhaka. The foreign minister met the diplomats and stakeholders to seek support for a political solution and humanitarian aid for the Rohingyas. He told the diplomats that some 300,000 Rohingyas had fled to Bangladesh in the past two weeks, taking the total number of such refugees to over 700,000. "This is creating a huge challenge for Bangladesh in terms of providing shelter as well as other humanitarian assistance to them," a foreign ministry statement said. At least two diplomats who attended the briefings said the minister told them as many as 3,000 people may have been killed in the latest round of violence. As per the UN, 294,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Bangladesh since attacks by Rohingya militants on Myanmar security forces on August 25 sparked a major military backlash in the state. Tens of thousands more are believed to be on the move inside Rakhine, AFP reports. Myanmar, which has a majority of Buddhists, does not recognise its stateless Muslim Rohingya community. It labels them "Bengalis" -- illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Violence in Myanmar's Rakhine genocide: Bangladesh

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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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

Nobel laureate and &nbsp;Myanmar state counsellor <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rohingya-crisis-india-to-offer-development-assistance-to-rakhine-state-19945">Aung San Suu Kyi assured all citizens that Myanmar</a> would take &quot;care of everyone living in the country, &nbsp;whether or not they are our citizens&quot; without specifically referring to the &nbsp;Rohingyas.

&quot;We have to take <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-buries-rohingya-shot-dead-in-myanmar-19973">care of our citizens, we have to take care of everybody</a> who is in our country, whether or not they are our citizens,&quot; Suu Kyi told ANI.

Suu Kyi added the situation in Rakhine has been difficult for many decades and it was &quot;a little unreasonable to expect her administration&quot;, which has been in power for 18 months to resolve it.

&quot;Of course, our resources are not as complete and adequate as we would like them to be but, still, we try our best and we want to make sure that everyone is entitled to the protection of the law,&quot; she added.

The US State Department reacted to the Rohingya crisis on Friday, declaring: &quot;Following serious allegations of human rights abuses including mass burnings of Rohingya villages and violence conducted by security forces and also armed civilians&quot;.

&quot;We urge all in Burma including in the Rakhine state to avoid actions that exacerbate tensions there,&quot; US State Department said.

The US ambassador met Myanmar officials on Thursday to discuss &quot;allegations of violence&quot; and access for humanitarian groups.

Meanwhile, UN in Bangladesh estimates the number of refugees fleeing Myanmar since August 25 could have reached 300,000.

&quot;Many refugees are stranded in no-man&#39;s land between the border with Myanmar,&quot; medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said in a statement.

&quot;Even prior to the most recent influx, many Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh lived in unsafe, overcrowded and unhygienic conditions, with little protection from the elements,&quot; the UN spokesman said.

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Suu Kyi said the situation in Rakhine has been difficult for many decades and it was 'a little unreasonable to expect her administration', which has been in power for 18 months to resolve it.

Nobel laureate and Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi assured all citizens that Myanmar would take "care of everyone living in the country, whether or not they are our citizens" without specifically referring to the Rohingyas. "We have to take care of our citizens, we have to take care of everybody who is in our country, whether or not they are our citizens," Suu Kyi told ANI. Suu Kyi added the situation in Rakhine has been difficult for many decades and it was "a little unreasonable to expect her administration", which has been in power for 18 months to resolve it. "Of course, our resources are not as complete and adequate as we would like them to be but, still, we try our best and we want to make sure that everyone is entitled to the protection of the law," she added. The US State Department reacted to the Rohingya crisis on Friday, declaring: "Following serious allegations of human rights abuses including mass burnings of Rohingya villages and violence conducted by security forces and also armed civilians". "We urge all in Burma including in the Rakhine state to avoid actions that exacerbate tensions there," US State Department said. The US ambassador met Myanmar officials on Thursday to discuss "allegations of violence" and access for humanitarian groups. Meanwhile, UN in Bangladesh estimates the number of refugees fleeing Myanmar since August 25 could have reached 300,000. "Many refugees are stranded in no-man's land between the border with Myanmar," medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said in a statement. "Even prior to the most recent influx, many Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh lived in unsafe, overcrowded and unhygienic conditions, with little protection from the elements," the UN spokesman said.

We have to take care of everyone, whether or not they are our citizens: Aung San Suu Kyi

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'

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

<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 is under pressure </a>from several countries including Bangladesh, Indonesia&nbsp;and Pakistan to ensure the safety of&nbsp;Rohingya Muslims who have fled the country in large numbers.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/brics-summit-day-2-pm-modi-president-xi-set-to-meet-today-19868">Prime Minister Modi who is on his way to Myanmar after attending</a> the BRICS summit in China 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 told Reuters.

On Monday, Indonesia&#39;s foreign minister met Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and army chief Min Aung Hlaing to discuss means of delivering humanitarian aid to members of Myanmar&#39;s Rohingya community&nbsp;and appeal to the two leaders to stop the violence against&nbsp;Rohingyas &nbsp;even as Indonesians protested outside the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta.

Experts feel Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is not doing enough to stop the violence against the Rohingya community.&nbsp;

&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.

&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.

&quot;If we can keep the pressure on Myanmar from ASEAN, from India as well, that will be good,&quot; he added, hinting at Modi&#39;s impending visit to the country.

According to the UN, at least 123,600 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh straining the country&#39;s economy.

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.&nbsp;

The attack led to the Rohingya exodus to Bangladesh.

PM Modi who is on his way to Myanmar after attending the BRICS summit in China is due to meet top officials, including Suu Kyi.

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is under pressure from several countries including Bangladesh, Indonesia and Pakistan to ensure the safety of Rohingya Muslims who have fled the country in large numbers. Prime Minister Modi who is on his way to Myanmar after attending the BRICS summit in China 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 told Reuters. On Monday, Indonesia's foreign minister met Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and army chief Min Aung Hlaing to discuss means of delivering humanitarian aid to members of Myanmar's Rohingya community and appeal to the two leaders to stop the violence against Rohingyas even as Indonesians protested outside the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta. Experts feel Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is not doing enough to stop the violence against the Rohingya community. "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. "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. "If we can keep the pressure on Myanmar from ASEAN, from India as well, that will be good," he added, hinting at Modi's impending visit to the country. 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. The attack led to the Rohingya exodus to Bangladesh.

As Modi visits, Aung San Suu Kyi under pressure to end Myanmar's Rohingya crisis

On 9 October 2016, an unusual wave of extremist violence swept through the restive Rakhine (Arakan) State of northwestern Myanmar; close to 300 obscure assailants, armed with swords, spears, and homemade weapons, attacked several border police outposts in and around the Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships located in close proximity to the volatile Bangladesh border. The attack left nine police officers dead, and four others wounded.

The situation escalated quickly as the government deployed additional troops from the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Defence Services) to the affected area, which is dominated by the stateless and heavily persecuted Rohingya Muslim community. A massive counterinsurgency operation marked by pervasive area sweeps and house-to-house searches followed. Subsequently, the region was placed under complete lockdown, to the point of blocking routine humanitarian aid. Amidst multiple allegations of arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings, the government announced that 30 &#39;attackers&#39; had been neutralised by security forces in the follow-up raids.&nbsp;

Perhaps in an attempt to clear the air of suspicion in the days following the shocking attacks, on 14 October, the office of the president released a statement that linked the attacks to a hitherto unknown organisation called <a href="http://[http://on.wsj.com/2dlqI0B]">Aqa Mul Mujhadin</a> (AMM). This outfit, as claimed by the government, is led by an individual identified as &#39;Mr Havistoohar&#39;, a local Rohingya Muslim. Going by supposed accounts provided by two detainees, &#39;Havistoohar&#39; was involved in locally recruiting close to 400 Rohingya youth for an attack around the Maungdaw area. Intriguingly enough, the government also linked the AMM to a long-dormant extremist outfit known as the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO). Not much is known about the latter.

If the above claims made by the government are to be deemed credible, then the recent attacks usher in as the first significant manifestation of a previously absent phenomenon that is &#39;Rohingya extremism&#39;. The glaring question, however, remains:&nbsp;is this newly-emergent face of organised violence in Rakhine State merely a localised occurrence, or is it linked to a much wider transnational terror network? The preliminary set of details in conjunction with an ambiguous history of Islamist terror penetration in this region points to the latter assumption.

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According to Myanmarese intelligence, &#39;Havistoohar&#39; was trained by the Taliban in Pakistan, and returned to Rakhine to mobilise a <a href="http://[http://on.wsj.com/2dlqI0B]">violent insurgency</a> in <a href="http://on.wsj.com/2dlqI0B">Myanmar</a>. He is also said to have frequently crossed over to Bangladesh for the purpose of receiving funds from certain &lsquo;Middle Eastern organisations&rsquo;. Most critically, his local recruits were purportedly trained by a largely nondescript man called &lsquo;Kalis&rsquo;, a Pakistani national of Rohingya origin. What really is the AMM then, and who are these slackly identified individuals?&nbsp;

This confusing picture becomes slightly clearer if we look at some incisive statements made by Indian intelligence officials a week after the attacks, quoted by two local <a href="http://bit.ly/2e6m1cl">Bangladeshi</a>&nbsp;and <a href="http://[http://bit.ly/2eGZFTr]">Myanmarese</a> newspapers. According to these reports, Indian intelligence has identified &#39;Mr Havistoohar&#39; as &#39;Hafiz Tohar&#39;, a 45-year old Rohingya man from Kyauk Pyin Seik village in Maungdaw. They have further categorised the AMM as an offshoot of a fairly well-known but mostly passive transnational terror outfit called Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami-Arakaan (HuJI-A). Going by a long-held <a href="http://[http://bit.ly/2eC4hWU]">understanding</a>, HuJI-A was formed in 1988 by a Pakistani national of Rohingya origin by the name of Abdul Qadoos Burmi. One could rationally assume that he is the same individual aliased as &#39;Kalis&#39;.

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However, the international connection hardly ends here. Qadoos, who fled to Pakistan in the early 1980s, is known to be very close to Hafiz Sayeed, the notorious chief of Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT). In a photograph published by Mizzima News in <a href="http://[http://bit.ly/1giwEcQ]">2015</a>, he was seen sharing the stage with Sayeed during a conference organised by LeT to express solidarity with the Rohingyas. He is alleged to have trained Rohingya recruits in Pakistan, subsequently sending them over to the remote hills of south eastern Bangladesh for further localised training.

The Pakistan connection to the Rohingya community in Rakhine State can be placed in the context of a fairly long and indistinct history of transnational Jihadist involvement in the Bangladesh-Myanmar border region. According to past claims made by Indian and <a href="http://[http://bit.ly/2eGZFTr]">Western intelligence</a>, the LeT maintains a well-grounded terror ecosystem in this region, wherein two overground charity organisations - Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Fala-I-Insaniyat (FIF) - have regularly picked up local Rohingya youth from the squalid camps of Rakhine for recruitment and training in Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, we do not yet know if these recruits were primarily meant for export to other territorial domains or for deployment in Myanmar itself.

Despite this murky history, it is difficult to pin down the responsibility for the recent attacks on any one outfit (or group of outfits). One separate analysis, made by researchers at the School of International Studies, <a href="http://[http://bit.ly/2eAN0lg]">Nanyang Technological </a>University (Singapore), attributes responsibility to an entirely disparate and previously unheard of an extremist outfit called &#39;Harakah al-Yaqin&#39;&nbsp;(HAY). The assessment, which is based on close analysis of some post-attack YouTube videos and social media chatter, claims that HAY, which is mostly constituted of heavily-armed &#39;illegal immigrants&#39; from Bangladesh, might have carried out the attacks. It also states that some Islamic State-affiliated terror outfits deeper inside southeast Asia have engaged with these videos on social media. Notably, the government raids after the attacks have led the authorities to some similar videos of masked militants with military-grade weapons calling for Jihad against the government forces of Myanmar. The exact nature of this digital evidence, however, remains unclear.

Nonetheless, what stands out quite remarkably is the style and tactic employed in the attacks. Although the assailants relied on rudimentary weapons for the assault, they managed to seize 51 medium-to-heavy firearms and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition from the police. This points to a specific tactic of using a low-level offensive to gather resources for a much larger attack. Most importantly, it reflects the low-grade nature of the offensive entity in marked contrast to well-resourced outfits like HuJI (or HuJI-A). This points to the involvement of a highly localised group, albeit with possible facilitation, funding, and motivation from larger trans-border entities.&nbsp;

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Thus, despite the revelations by the government of Myanmar after the attacks, the precise contours of &#39;Rohingya extremism&#39; remain largely inconspicuous. The LeT/HuJI-A link comes under serious scrutiny if one recalls the massive crackdown launched by the Awami League government on domestic extremist groups in Bangladesh, which resulted in the severe degradation of the broader HuJI infrastructure in the region. How, then, was the outfit successful in sustaining its mobilisation efforts, if it did? Did HuJI-A continue to function independently under LeT&#39;s tutelage? Were the attacks the sole handiwork of AMM - possibly a derivative of the subcutaneously functional RSO? It is hard to say so at the moment.

In light of the above, one could rationally suppose that the Rohingya cause has certainly spilled beyond borders to reach the doorsteps of transnational Jihad. However, one must not forget that an oppressed and disenfranchised community - wherever they might be situated -&nbsp; is often the most fitting resource pool for vested parties willing to hijack an existential cause for political ends. Thus, amidst the deafening clamour of hasty allegations and conclusions being drawn after the heinous attacks, one must try and not forget the perpetual state of fear and subjugation that the Rohingya community continues to live under&nbsp;a country that refuses to recognise them as legitimate citizens.&nbsp;

Vested extremist parties often hijack oppressed communities, such as the Rohingyas, to serve political ends

On 9 October 2016, an unusual wave of extremist violence swept through the restive Rakhine (Arakan) State of northwestern Myanmar; close to 300 obscure assailants, armed with swords, spears, and homemade weapons, attacked several border police outposts in and around the Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships located in close proximity to the volatile Bangladesh border. The attack left nine police officers dead, and four others wounded. The situation escalated quickly as the government deployed additional troops from the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Defence Services) to the affected area, which is dominated by the stateless and heavily persecuted Rohingya Muslim community. A massive counterinsurgency operation marked by pervasive area sweeps and house-to-house searches followed. Subsequently, the region was placed under complete lockdown, to the point of blocking routine humanitarian aid. Amidst multiple allegations of arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings, the government announced that 30 'attackers' had been neutralised by security forces in the follow-up raids. Perhaps in an attempt to clear the air of suspicion in the days following the shocking attacks, on 14 October, the office of the president released a statement that linked the attacks to a hitherto unknown organisation called Aqa Mul Mujhadin (AMM). This outfit, as claimed by the government, is led by an individual identified as 'Mr Havistoohar', a local Rohingya Muslim. Going by supposed accounts provided by two detainees, 'Havistoohar' was involved in locally recruiting close to 400 Rohingya youth for an attack around the Maungdaw area. Intriguingly enough, the government also linked the AMM to a long-dormant extremist outfit known as the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO). Not much is known about the latter. If the above claims made by the government are to be deemed credible, then the recent attacks usher in as the first significant manifestation of a previously absent phenomenon that is 'Rohingya extremism'. The glaring question, however, remains: is this newly-emergent face of organised violence in Rakhine State merely a localised occurrence, or is it linked to a much wider transnational terror network? The preliminary set of details in conjunction with an ambiguous history of Islamist terror penetration in this region points to the latter assumption. Is this newly-emergent face of organised violence in Rakhine State merely a localised occurrence, or is it linked to a much wider transnational terror network? × According to Myanmarese intelligence, 'Havistoohar' was trained by the Taliban in Pakistan, and returned to Rakhine to mobilise a violent insurgency in Myanmar. He is also said to have frequently crossed over to Bangladesh for the purpose of receiving funds from certain ‘Middle Eastern organisations’. Most critically, his local recruits were purportedly trained by a largely nondescript man called ‘Kalis’, a Pakistani national of Rohingya origin. What really is the AMM then, and who are these slackly identified individuals? This confusing picture becomes slightly clearer if we look at some incisive statements made by Indian intelligence officials a week after the attacks, quoted by two local Bangladeshi and Myanmarese newspapers. According to these reports, Indian intelligence has identified 'Mr Havistoohar' as 'Hafiz Tohar', a 45-year old Rohingya man from Kyauk Pyin Seik village in Maungdaw. They have further categorised the AMM as an offshoot of a fairly well-known but mostly passive transnational terror outfit called Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami-Arakaan (HuJI-A). Going by a long-held understanding, HuJI-A was formed in 1988 by a Pakistani national of Rohingya origin by the name of Abdul Qadoos Burmi. One could rationally assume that he is the same individual aliased as 'Kalis'. According to Indian intelligence officials AMM is an offshoot of a fairly well-known but mostly passive transnational terror outfit called Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami-Arakaan (HuJI-A) × However, the international connection hardly ends here. Qadoos, who fled to Pakistan in the early 1980s, is known to be very close to Hafiz Sayeed, the notorious chief of Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT). In a photograph published by Mizzima News in 2015, he was seen sharing the stage with Sayeed during a conference organised by LeT to express solidarity with the Rohingyas. He is alleged to have trained Rohingya recruits in Pakistan, subsequently sending them over to the remote hills of south eastern Bangladesh for further localised training. The Pakistan connection to the Rohingya community in Rakhine State can be placed in the context of a fairly long and indistinct history of transnational Jihadist involvement in the Bangladesh-Myanmar border region. According to past claims made by Indian and Western intelligence, the LeT maintains a well-grounded terror ecosystem in this region, wherein two overground charity organisations - Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Fala-I-Insaniyat (FIF) - have regularly picked up local Rohingya youth from the squalid camps of Rakhine for recruitment and training in Bangladesh and Pakistan. However, we do not yet know if these recruits were primarily meant for export to other territorial domains or for deployment in Myanmar itself. Despite this murky history, it is difficult to pin down the responsibility for the recent attacks on any one outfit (or group of outfits). One separate analysis, made by researchers at the School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), attributes responsibility to an entirely disparate and previously unheard of an extremist outfit called 'Harakah al-Yaqin' (HAY). The assessment, which is based on close analysis of some post-attack YouTube videos and social media chatter, claims that HAY, which is mostly constituted of heavily-armed 'illegal immigrants' from Bangladesh, might have carried out the attacks. It also states that some Islamic State-affiliated terror outfits deeper inside southeast Asia have engaged with these videos on social media. Notably, the government raids after the attacks have led the authorities to some similar videos of masked militants with military-grade weapons calling for Jihad against the government forces of Myanmar. The exact nature of this digital evidence, however, remains unclear. Nonetheless, what stands out quite remarkably is the style and tactic employed in the attacks. Although the assailants relied on rudimentary weapons for the assault, they managed to seize 51 medium-to-heavy firearms and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition from the police. This points to a specific tactic of using a low-level offensive to gather resources for a much larger attack. Most importantly, it reflects the low-grade nature of the offensive entity in marked contrast to well-resourced outfits like HuJI (or HuJI-A). This points to the involvement of a highly localised group, albeit with possible facilitation, funding, and motivation from larger trans-border entities. Despite the revelations by the government of Myanmar after the attacks, the precise contours of 'Rohingya extremism' remain largely inconspicuous. × Thus, despite the revelations by the government of Myanmar after the attacks, the precise contours of 'Rohingya extremism' remain largely inconspicuous. The LeT/HuJI-A link comes under serious scrutiny if one recalls the massive crackdown launched by the Awami League government on domestic extremist groups in Bangladesh, which resulted in the severe degradation of the broader HuJI infrastructure in the region. How, then, was the outfit successful in sustaining its mobilisation efforts, if it did? Did HuJI-A continue to function independently under LeT's tutelage? Were the attacks the sole handiwork of AMM - possibly a derivative of the subcutaneously functional RSO? It is hard to say so at the moment. In light of the above, one could rationally suppose that the Rohingya cause has certainly spilled beyond borders to reach the doorsteps of transnational Jihad. However, one must not forget that an oppressed and disenfranchised community - wherever they might be situated - is often the most fitting resource pool for vested parties willing to hijack an existential cause for political ends. Thus, amidst the deafening clamour of hasty allegations and conclusions being drawn after the heinous attacks, one must try and not forget the perpetual state of fear and subjugation that the Rohingya community continues to live under a country that refuses to recognise them as legitimate citizens.

Branded as 'terrorists' by India, how are Rohingyas connected to Jihadis

Thousands of Rohingyas are left stranded in the middle of nowhere as they make desperate attempts to enter Bangladesh in a bid to flee persecution in their homeland in Myanmar.

The death toll from the violence by Rohingya insurgents since Friday has climbed to 98, including &nbsp;80 insurgents and 12 security personnel, the government said. 
&nbsp; 
Local police with the help of Border Guards Bangladesh have pushed back at least 100 Rohingyas since Friday (August 26) and have increased their vigil in the area after tension erupted in the northern Rakhine state in Myanmar, said Chailau Marma, chief of Ukhia police to WION. 
&nbsp; 
Fresh violence reportedly erupted on Friday after members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army launched an attack on Myanmar security forces, resulting in a retaliation in which at least 89 people including a dozen security personnel were killed. 
&nbsp; 
The crackdown by security forces following the attack has prompted thousands of Rohingyas to flee their homeland for security. 
&nbsp; 
Nearly 4,000 to 5,000 Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh between Saturday evening and Sunday morning and have sought shelter at various places including the Balukhali and Leda makeshift camps as well as in other villages, said members of the Rohingya community in Cox&#39;s Bazar.

The fresh influx is being reported through the Tumbru village in Cox&#39;s Bazar. 
&nbsp; 
Police or Border Guard Bangladesh however, could not confirm the numbers. 
&nbsp; 
&quot;Rohingyas will not be able to stay in Myanmar. The military are firing wherever they are finding them,&quot;&nbsp;said Satter Islam, a registered Rohingya refugee in Cox&#39;s Bazar. 
&nbsp; 
Nearly 87,000 Rohingyas migrated into Bangladesh illegally since last October following a crackdown by security forces in Myanmar on the Muslim minorities. 
&nbsp; 
Bangladesh&#39;s&nbsp;foreign ministry summoned the charge d&rsquo;affaires of Myanmar on Saturday and expressed &quot;serious concern at the possibility of recurrence of such a situation&quot;. 
&nbsp; 
Bangladesh has provided nearly 30,000 Rohingyas with refugee status until 1992 but unofficial estimates suggest more than 500,000 Rohingyas are staying in Bangladesh illegally. 
&nbsp; 
&ldquo;We wish to return to Myanmar if the government provides us nationality and citizenship,&rdquo; said Shafiul Mostafa, another registered Rohingya refugee at Cox&rsquo;s Bazar. 
&nbsp; 
The Rohingya are considered stateless people as the Myanmar government through an amendment in its 1982 Citizenship law revoked nationality and citizenship of the Muslim minority group consisting of roughly 1 million people. 
&nbsp; 
Rohingya members in Bangladesh say that Myanmar&rsquo;s fresh agitation is retaliation to an investigation by an advisory commission led by former UN chief Kofi Annan which urged the Myanmar government to reinstate citizenship of the Rohingya and end persecution on the community.

 
&nbsp;

Nearly 4,000 to 5,000 Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh between Saturday evening and Sunday morning and have sought shelter at various places including the Balukhali and Leda makeshift camps

Thousands of Rohingyas are left stranded in the middle of nowhere as they make desperate attempts to enter Bangladesh in a bid to flee persecution in their homeland in Myanmar. The death toll from the violence by Rohingya insurgents since Friday has climbed to 98, including 80 insurgents and 12 security personnel, the government said. Local police with the help of Border Guards Bangladesh have pushed back at least 100 Rohingyas since Friday (August 26) and have increased their vigil in the area after tension erupted in the northern Rakhine state in Myanmar, said Chailau Marma, chief of Ukhia police to WION. Fresh violence reportedly erupted on Friday after members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army launched an attack on Myanmar security forces, resulting in a retaliation in which at least 89 people including a dozen security personnel were killed. The crackdown by security forces following the attack has prompted thousands of Rohingyas to flee their homeland for security. Nearly 4,000 to 5,000 Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh between Saturday evening and Sunday morning and have sought shelter at various places including the Balukhali and Leda makeshift camps as well as in other villages, said members of the Rohingya community in Cox's Bazar. The fresh influx is being reported through the Tumbru village in Cox's Bazar. Police or Border Guard Bangladesh however, could not confirm the numbers. "Rohingyas will not be able to stay in Myanmar. The military are firing wherever they are finding them," said Satter Islam, a registered Rohingya refugee in Cox's Bazar. Nearly 87,000 Rohingyas migrated into Bangladesh illegally since last October following a crackdown by security forces in Myanmar on the Muslim minorities. Bangladesh's foreign ministry summoned the charge d’affaires of Myanmar on Saturday and expressed "serious concern at the possibility of recurrence of such a situation". Bangladesh has provided nearly 30,000 Rohingyas with refugee status until 1992 but unofficial estimates suggest more than 500,000 Rohingyas are staying in Bangladesh illegally. “We wish to return to Myanmar if the government provides us nationality and citizenship,” said Shafiul Mostafa, another registered Rohingya refugee at Cox’s Bazar. The Rohingya are considered stateless people as the Myanmar government through an amendment in its 1982 Citizenship law revoked nationality and citizenship of the Muslim minority group consisting of roughly 1 million people. Rohingya members in Bangladesh say that Myanmar’s fresh agitation is retaliation to an investigation by an advisory commission led by former UN chief Kofi Annan which urged the Myanmar government to reinstate citizenship of the Rohingya and end persecution on the community.

Myanmar violence: Thousands of Rohingyas enter Bangladesh, more stranded in no man's land

Myanmar has started shutting down three displacement camps in strife-torn Rakhine state, a senior official said Tuesday, although it was not immediately clear where the inhabitants would go.

Tens of thousands of people from Rakhine&#39;s Muslim and Buddhist communities ended up in internal displacement camps after sectarian violence ripped the impoverished region apart five years ago.&nbsp;

The move to shutter the first of those camps comes after a commission led by former UN chief Kofi Annan last month called on the government to close them as part of a series of measures designed to heal simmering ethnic tensions.&nbsp;

National Security Advisor Thaung Tun said the government had begun with three camps named in the commission&#39;s report, including one sheltering ethnic Rakhines and one that houses Kaman Muslims.&nbsp;

The largest of the three includes more than 200 houses full of Rohingya Muslims, a heavily persecuted minority.&nbsp;

&quot;We have initiated the process to close down three IDP (internally displaced persons) camps,&quot; Thaung Tun told a briefing, without giving details of where people would be moved to.

&quot;In Kyauk Phyu, there are IDP camps for Rakhines... Sittwe for the Rohingya group and Ramree... mostly for Kamans.&quot;

Myanmar has long faced international condemnation for its treatment of Rakhine&#39;s more than one million Rohingya, who many from the Buddhist majority reject as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

The vast majority are not granted citizenship and face severe restrictions on their access to education, healthcare, food and movements despite many living there for generations.&nbsp;

The issue has reached boiling point in recent months after the army launched a bloody crackdown in the north of Rakhine thought to have claimed hundreds of lives after attacks on several police border posts in October.

United Nations investigators say Myanmar&#39;s security forces may have carried out crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya during that crackdown.&nbsp;

De facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week rejected the accusations, telling the BBC that the term ethnic cleansing was &quot;too strong an expression&quot;.

Thaung Tun also defended the government on Monday, saying authorities were doing their best to push forward the citizenship verification process.&nbsp;

&quot;We want to dissolve the issue of statelessness. We need the cooperation of all stateholders in order for us to go forward,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

&quot;It has nothing to do with discrimination... It has nothing to do with ethnic cleansing.&quot;

(AFP)

The largest of the three includes more than 200 houses full of Rohingya Muslims, a heavily persecuted minority

Myanmar has started shutting down three displacement camps in strife-torn Rakhine state, a senior official said Tuesday, although it was not immediately clear where the inhabitants would go. Tens of thousands of people from Rakhine's Muslim and Buddhist communities ended up in internal displacement camps after sectarian violence ripped the impoverished region apart five years ago. The move to shutter the first of those camps comes after a commission led by former UN chief Kofi Annan last month called on the government to close them as part of a series of measures designed to heal simmering ethnic tensions. National Security Advisor Thaung Tun said the government had begun with three camps named in the commission's report, including one sheltering ethnic Rakhines and one that houses Kaman Muslims. The largest of the three includes more than 200 houses full of Rohingya Muslims, a heavily persecuted minority. "We have initiated the process to close down three IDP (internally displaced persons) camps," Thaung Tun told a briefing, without giving details of where people would be moved to. "In Kyauk Phyu, there are IDP camps for Rakhines... Sittwe for the Rohingya group and Ramree... mostly for Kamans." Myanmar has long faced international condemnation for its treatment of Rakhine's more than one million Rohingya, who many from the Buddhist majority reject as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The vast majority are not granted citizenship and face severe restrictions on their access to education, healthcare, food and movements despite many living there for generations. The issue has reached boiling point in recent months after the army launched a bloody crackdown in the north of Rakhine thought to have claimed hundreds of lives after attacks on several police border posts in October. United Nations investigators say Myanmar's security forces may have carried out crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya during that crackdown. De facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week rejected the accusations, telling the BBC that the term ethnic cleansing was "too strong an expression". Thaung Tun also defended the government on Monday, saying authorities were doing their best to push forward the citizenship verification process. "We want to dissolve the issue of statelessness. We need the cooperation of all stateholders in order for us to go forward," he said. "It has nothing to do with discrimination... It has nothing to do with ethnic cleansing." (AFP)

Myanmar starts shutting down three Rakhine camps

A Rohingya man, believed to have led the deadly border post attacks last year, has been slapped with a death sentence by a Myanmar court.

The coordinated attacks on three border posts on October 9, which killed nine policemen, prompted the Myanmar government to launch a brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims.

&quot;He was sentenced to death on 10 February at Sittwe court for intentional murder,&quot; Sittwe police chief Yan Naing Lett, though he didn&#39;t give a date for the execution.

&quot;He participated in the attacks and led them, and planned them with others. He is one of 14 attackers who was detained in Sittwe township,&quot; the officer said, naming the man as Mamahdnu Aka Aula.

The other 13 accused were also brought before the court but their sentencing has not been announced yet, the officer added.&nbsp;

The attacks on police patrolling Myanmar&#39;s border with Bangladesh sparked off the government&#39;s deadly campaign against the Rohingyas.

Hundreds from the Muslim minority are thought to have died and tens of thousands have fled to Bangladesh since the army launched &quot;clearance operations&quot; four months ago to find the attackers.

Several hundred Rohingya have also been detained, the UN report said, describing how they were stripped, beaten, tortured and deprived of food and water.

Myanmar&#39;s government has pledged to investigate the allegations after spending months dismissing similar reports from international media and rights groups as &quot;fake news&quot;.

The 1.1 million Rohingya are loathed by many from the Buddhist majority, who insist they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh even though many have lived in the country for generations.

The recent violence has sparked criticism that Myanmar&#39;s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has done little to help them since taking office almost a year ago.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The coordinated attacks, which killed nine policemen, later resulted in the Myanmar government brutally cracking down on the Rohingyas

A Rohingya man, believed to have led the deadly border post attacks last year, has been slapped with a death sentence by a Myanmar court. The coordinated attacks on three border posts on October 9, which killed nine policemen, prompted the Myanmar government to launch a brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. "He was sentenced to death on 10 February at Sittwe court for intentional murder," Sittwe police chief Yan Naing Lett, though he didn't give a date for the execution. "He participated in the attacks and led them, and planned them with others. He is one of 14 attackers who was detained in Sittwe township," the officer said, naming the man as Mamahdnu Aka Aula. The other 13 accused were also brought before the court but their sentencing has not been announced yet, the officer added. The attacks on police patrolling Myanmar's border with Bangladesh sparked off the government's deadly campaign against the Rohingyas. Hundreds from the Muslim minority are thought to have died and tens of thousands have fled to Bangladesh since the army launched "clearance operations" four months ago to find the attackers. Several hundred Rohingya have also been detained, the UN report said, describing how they were stripped, beaten, tortured and deprived of food and water. Myanmar's government has pledged to investigate the allegations after spending months dismissing similar reports from international media and rights groups as "fake news". The 1.1 million Rohingya are loathed by many from the Buddhist majority, who insist they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh even though many have lived in the country for generations. The recent violence has sparked criticism that Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has done little to help them since taking office almost a year ago. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Myanmar's deadly border post attacker sentenced to death

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

Myanmar&#39;s security forces have committed mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya Muslims and burned their villages since October in a campaign that probably amounts to crimes against humanity and possibly &quot;ethnic cleansing&quot;, the UN human rights office said on Friday.\

&ldquo;The devastating cruelty to which these Rohingya children have been subjected is unbearable,&quot; UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra&#39;ad al Hussein said in a statement.

Witnesses testified to &quot;the killing of babies, toddlers, children, women and elderly; opening fire at people fleeing; burning of entire villages; massive detention; massive and systematic rape and sexual violence; deliberate destruction of food and sources of food&quot;, the report said.

A top UN human rights official told Reuters that Myanmar&#39;s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has promised to investigate the allegations.

&quot;I did speak to Aung San Suu Kyi about an hour and a half ago. I called upon her to use every means available to exert pressure on the military and the security services to end this operation,&quot; Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein, whose office issued the report said. &quot;She informed me that an investigation will be launched. She said that they would require further information.&quot;

One woman told UN investigators how her eight-month baby boy had had his throat slit. Another was raped by soldiers and saw her five-year-old daughter killed as she tried to stop them.

Around 66,000 people have fled from the Muslim-majority northern part of Rakhine State to Bangladesh since Myanmar&#39;s military launched a security operation in response to attacks on police border posts on October 9, the UN report said. The UN humanitarian office has recently put the figure at 69,000.

&quot;The &#39;area clearance operations&#39; have likely resulted in hundreds of deaths,&quot; some of them through helicopters shooting at villages and dropping grenades on them, the report said.

Four UN investigators gathered testimony last month from 220 Rohingya victims and witnesses who fled the &quot;lockdown area&quot; in Maungdaw in Rakhine for the Cox&#39;s Bazar district in Bangladesh.

Nearly half reported a family member had been killed or disappeared while 101 women reported having been raped or subjected to sexual violence, it said.

Testimonies pointed to &quot;a persecution on ethnic grounds which is similar to what has been, in other contexts, described as &#39;ethnic cleansing&#39;,&quot; UN mission leader Linnea Arvidsson told a news briefing.

Referral to Security Council?

&quot;The findings and gravity of the situation are really so stark that something needs to be done -- for accountability, but primarily for the violence to stop.&quot;

She said the UN Human Rights Council could refer the issue to the UN Security Council, which in turn had the power to pass it to the International Criminal Court.

The investigators took evidence including photographs of bullet and knife wounds, burns, and injuries resulting from beatings with rifle butts or bamboo sticks.

The plight of the stateless Rohingya, of whom some 1.1 million live in apartheid-like conditions in Rakhine, has long been a source of friction between Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Myanmar, a mostly Buddhist country where Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is de facto leader, has denied almost all allegations of human rights abuses in northern Rakhine and says a lawful counter-insurgency campaign is under way.

In Yangon, the spokesman for President Htin Kyaw&rsquo;s office said the government had not yet seen the report.

&quot;We will review the report from the UN and we will respond, either in an official statement or in an individual response (to questions),&quot; Zaw Htay said.

While denying observers and independent journalists access to the conflict area, officials have accused Rohingya residents and refugees of fabricating stories of killings, beatings, mass rape and arson in collaboration with insurgents who they say are Rohingya terrorists with links to Islamists overseas.

Zeid called for a robust reaction from the international community and said Myanmar must accept responsibility for committing grave human rights violations against its own people.

The report said the attacks on the Rohingya &quot;seem to have been widespread as well as systematic, indicating the very likely commission of crimes against humanity&quot;.

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The 'area clearance operations' in October have likely resulted in hundreds of deaths and may amount to ethnic cleansing, the UN report said

Myanmar's security forces have committed mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya Muslims and burned their villages since October in a campaign that probably amounts to crimes against humanity and possibly "ethnic cleansing", the UN human rights office said on Friday.\ “The devastating cruelty to which these Rohingya children have been subjected is unbearable," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein said in a statement. Witnesses testified to "the killing of babies, toddlers, children, women and elderly; opening fire at people fleeing; burning of entire villages; massive detention; massive and systematic rape and sexual violence; deliberate destruction of food and sources of food", the report said. A top UN human rights official told Reuters that Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has promised to investigate the allegations. "I did speak to Aung San Suu Kyi about an hour and a half ago. I called upon her to use every means available to exert pressure on the military and the security services to end this operation," Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, whose office issued the report said. "She informed me that an investigation will be launched. She said that they would require further information." One woman told UN investigators how her eight-month baby boy had had his throat slit. Another was raped by soldiers and saw her five-year-old daughter killed as she tried to stop them. Around 66,000 people have fled from the Muslim-majority northern part of Rakhine State to Bangladesh since Myanmar's military launched a security operation in response to attacks on police border posts on October 9, the UN report said. The UN humanitarian office has recently put the figure at 69,000. "The 'area clearance operations' have likely resulted in hundreds of deaths," some of them through helicopters shooting at villages and dropping grenades on them, the report said. Four UN investigators gathered testimony last month from 220 Rohingya victims and witnesses who fled the "lockdown area" in Maungdaw in Rakhine for the Cox's Bazar district in Bangladesh. Nearly half reported a family member had been killed or disappeared while 101 women reported having been raped or subjected to sexual violence, it said. Testimonies pointed to "a persecution on ethnic grounds which is similar to what has been, in other contexts, described as 'ethnic cleansing'," UN mission leader Linnea Arvidsson told a news briefing. Referral to Security Council? "The findings and gravity of the situation are really so stark that something needs to be done -- for accountability, but primarily for the violence to stop." She said the UN Human Rights Council could refer the issue to the UN Security Council, which in turn had the power to pass it to the International Criminal Court. The investigators took evidence including photographs of bullet and knife wounds, burns, and injuries resulting from beatings with rifle butts or bamboo sticks. The plight of the stateless Rohingya, of whom some 1.1 million live in apartheid-like conditions in Rakhine, has long been a source of friction between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Myanmar, a mostly Buddhist country where Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is de facto leader, has denied almost all allegations of human rights abuses in northern Rakhine and says a lawful counter-insurgency campaign is under way. In Yangon, the spokesman for President Htin Kyaw’s office said the government had not yet seen the report. "We will review the report from the UN and we will respond, either in an official statement or in an individual response (to questions)," Zaw Htay said. While denying observers and independent journalists access to the conflict area, officials have accused Rohingya residents and refugees of fabricating stories of killings, beatings, mass rape and arson in collaboration with insurgents who they say are Rohingya terrorists with links to Islamists overseas. Zeid called for a robust reaction from the international community and said Myanmar must accept responsibility for committing grave human rights violations against its own people. The report said the attacks on the Rohingya "seem to have been widespread as well as systematic, indicating the very likely commission of crimes against humanity". (Reuters)

Myanmar army committed mass killings, gang-rapes in Rohingya 'ethnic cleansing': UN

Some 50,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar, the foreign ministry in Dhaka said Thursday, seeking shelter from a bloody crackdown by the army.

Bangladesh has stepped up patrols to try to stem the tide of refugees crossing the border since an eruption of unrest in Myanmar&#39;s western state of Rakhine in early October.

The foreign ministry summoned Myanmar&#39;s ambassador to express &quot;deep concern at the continued influx&quot; of tens of thousands of members of the stateless ethnic minority into its territory.

&quot;(We) mentioned that around 50,000 Myanmar citizens took shelter into Bangladesh since 09 October 2016,&quot; the ministry said in a statement.

Rakhine borders Bangladesh and is home to the Rohingya -- a Muslim minority group loathed by many of Myanmar&#39;s Buddhist majority.

Dhaka also demanded early repatriation of all Burmese citizens who have been living in the Muslim-majority nation for years, including some 300,000 Rohingya -- most of them illegally.

A spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told AFP that at least 43,000 Rohingya have taken shelter in Bangladesh since October.

The vast majority of those who arrived took refuge in makeshift settlements, official refugee camps and villages in Bangladesh&#39;s resort district of Cox&#39;s Bazar.

Many of those interviewed by AFP told horrific stories of gang-rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar security forces.

Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse but has banned foreign journalists and independent investigators from accessing the area.

Bangladesh&#39;s government has been under pressure to open its border to the fleeing refugees, in a crisis which has been described as a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

But it has reinforced its border posts and deployed coastguard ships to prevent fresh arrivals.

In the past three months, its border guards have prevented hundreds of boats packed with thousands of Rohingya women and children from entering the country.

(AFP)

The Rohingyas have looked to escape Myanmar due to alleged persecution in restive Rakhine province

Some 50,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar, the foreign ministry in Dhaka said Thursday, seeking shelter from a bloody crackdown by the army. Bangladesh has stepped up patrols to try to stem the tide of refugees crossing the border since an eruption of unrest in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine in early October. The foreign ministry summoned Myanmar's ambassador to express "deep concern at the continued influx" of tens of thousands of members of the stateless ethnic minority into its territory. "(We) mentioned that around 50,000 Myanmar citizens took shelter into Bangladesh since 09 October 2016," the ministry said in a statement. Rakhine borders Bangladesh and is home to the Rohingya -- a Muslim minority group loathed by many of Myanmar's Buddhist majority. Dhaka also demanded early repatriation of all Burmese citizens who have been living in the Muslim-majority nation for years, including some 300,000 Rohingya -- most of them illegally. A spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told AFP that at least 43,000 Rohingya have taken shelter in Bangladesh since October. The vast majority of those who arrived took refuge in makeshift settlements, official refugee camps and villages in Bangladesh's resort district of Cox's Bazar. Many of those interviewed by AFP told horrific stories of gang-rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar security forces. Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse but has banned foreign journalists and independent investigators from accessing the area. Bangladesh's government has been under pressure to open its border to the fleeing refugees, in a crisis which has been described as a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya. But it has reinforced its border posts and deployed coastguard ships to prevent fresh arrivals. In the past three months, its border guards have prevented hundreds of boats packed with thousands of Rohingya women and children from entering the country. (AFP)

Around 50,000 Rohingyas have fled from Myanmar since Oct: Bangladesh

Around 21,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks to escape violence in neighbouring Myanmar, an official of the International Organisation for Migration said today.

Bangladesh has stepped up patrols on the border to try to stem the tide of refugees fleeing a bloody crackdown by Myanmar&#39;s army in the western state of Rakhine since early October.

But Sanjukta Sahany, head of the IOM office in Bangladesh&#39;s southeastern district of Cox&#39;s Bazar bordering Rakhine, said around 21,000 members of the stateless ethnic minority had crossed over in the past two months.

The vast majority of those who arrived took refuge in makeshift settlements, official refugee camps and villages, said Sahany.

&quot;An estimated 21,000 Rohingya have arrived in Cox&#39;s Bazar district between October 9 and December 2,&quot; she told AFP by phone.

&quot;It is based on the figures collected by UN agencies and international NGOs&quot; (non-governmental organisations).

Those interviewed by AFP inside Bangladesh told horrifying stories of gang-rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar&#39;s security forces.

Analysis of satellite images by Human Rights Watch found hundreds of buildings in Rohingya villages have been razed.

Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse but has banned foreign journalists and independent investigators from accessing the area.

Myanmar&#39;s Nobel peace laureate and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has faced a growing international backlash for what a UN official has said amounts to a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya, a Muslim group loathed by many of Myanmar&#39;s Buddhist majority.

Last week she vowed to work for &quot;peace and national reconciliation&quot;, saying her country faced many challenges, but did not mention the violence in Rakhine state.

Bangladesh has reinforced its border posts and deployed coastguard ships to try to prevent a fresh influx of refugees.

In the past two months Bangladeshi border guards have prevented hundreds of boats packed with Rohingya women and children from entering the country.

The Bangladesh government has been under pressure from Muslim groups and the opposition to open its border to the fleeing Rohingya.

Today police stopped thousands of hardline Muslims from marching to the Myanmar embassy in Dhaka to protest at the ongoing &quot;genocide&quot; of Rohingya.

Shiblee Noman, an assistant commissioner of Dhaka police, told AFP about 10,000 Muslims joined the march, which was halted at central Dhaka&#39;s Nightingale Crossing.&nbsp;

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

International Organisation for Migration said 21,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh to escape a crackdown by Myanmar's army

Around 21,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks to escape violence in neighbouring Myanmar, an official of the International Organisation for Migration said today. Bangladesh has stepped up patrols on the border to try to stem the tide of refugees fleeing a bloody crackdown by Myanmar's army in the western state of Rakhine since early October. But Sanjukta Sahany, head of the IOM office in Bangladesh's southeastern district of Cox's Bazar bordering Rakhine, said around 21,000 members of the stateless ethnic minority had crossed over in the past two months. The vast majority of those who arrived took refuge in makeshift settlements, official refugee camps and villages, said Sahany. "An estimated 21,000 Rohingya have arrived in Cox's Bazar district between October 9 and December 2," she told AFP by phone. "It is based on the figures collected by UN agencies and international NGOs" (non-governmental organisations). Those interviewed by AFP inside Bangladesh told horrifying stories of gang-rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar's security forces. Analysis of satellite images by Human Rights Watch found hundreds of buildings in Rohingya villages have been razed. Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse but has banned foreign journalists and independent investigators from accessing the area. Myanmar's Nobel peace laureate and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has faced a growing international backlash for what a UN official has said amounts to a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya, a Muslim group loathed by many of Myanmar's Buddhist majority. Last week she vowed to work for "peace and national reconciliation", saying her country faced many challenges, but did not mention the violence in Rakhine state. Bangladesh has reinforced its border posts and deployed coastguard ships to try to prevent a fresh influx of refugees. In the past two months Bangladeshi border guards have prevented hundreds of boats packed with Rohingya women and children from entering the country. The Bangladesh government has been under pressure from Muslim groups and the opposition to open its border to the fleeing Rohingya. Today police stopped thousands of hardline Muslims from marching to the Myanmar embassy in Dhaka to protest at the ongoing "genocide" of Rohingya. Shiblee Noman, an assistant commissioner of Dhaka police, told AFP about 10,000 Muslims joined the march, which was halted at central Dhaka's Nightingale Crossing. (AFP)

21,000 Rohingya flee to Bangladesh from Myanmar: IOM

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday began a fact-finding visit to Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine province,where the army is being accused of violence against members of the Muslim Rohingya minority.

The escalation of violence in the region in the past few months has resulted in the destruction of villages, civilian casualties and an exodus of refugees to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Myanmar&rsquo;s de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked Annan to help find ways to resolve the &nbsp;ethnic and religious tensions between the Rohingya and the country&#39;s Buddhist majority.&nbsp;

The region has witnessed large-scale intercommunal violence in 2012 that left hundreds dead and drove 140,000 people into camps for the internally displaced.

This is Annan&rsquo;s second visit since Suu Kyi appointed him in August to head a special commission that will write and present a report of its findings to the government early next year.

The latest surge in violence was due to the attacks on Myanmar border posts on October 9 that left nine police officers dead.

The motive of the attack and the identities of the attackers are unclear, but in response, the government began military sweeps, leading to a major confrontation in November that saw villagers resisting government intrusion.&nbsp;

The government has cut-off access to the area.

According to a tweet by a spokesperson for Annan&rsquo;s foundation, the former UN chief said in Rakhine today that &quot;security operations must not impede humanitarian access where there is need.&quot;, news agency AP reported.

&quot;I&#39;m not saying there are no difficulties,&quot; Suu Kyi told Singapore&#39;s Channel NewsAsia network today &quot;but it helps if people recognize the difficulty and are more focused on resolving these difficulties rather than exaggerating them so that everything seems worse than it really is.&quot;

Suu Kyi, whose party came to power in March after years &nbsp;of military-backed rule, has been criticized for not acting strongly to curb the violence against the Rohingyas, who generally are not allowed citizenship.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AP)

Myanmar?s de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked Annan to help find ways to resolve tensions between Rohingyas and the Buddhist majority

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday began a fact-finding visit to Myanmar's Rakhine province,where the army is being accused of violence against members of the Muslim Rohingya minority. The escalation of violence in the region in the past few months has resulted in the destruction of villages, civilian casualties and an exodus of refugees to neighbouring Bangladesh. Myanmar’s de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked Annan to help find ways to resolve the ethnic and religious tensions between the Rohingya and the country's Buddhist majority. The region has witnessed large-scale intercommunal violence in 2012 that left hundreds dead and drove 140,000 people into camps for the internally displaced. This is Annan’s second visit since Suu Kyi appointed him in August to head a special commission that will write and present a report of its findings to the government early next year. The latest surge in violence was due to the attacks on Myanmar border posts on October 9 that left nine police officers dead. The motive of the attack and the identities of the attackers are unclear, but in response, the government began military sweeps, leading to a major confrontation in November that saw villagers resisting government intrusion. The government has cut-off access to the area. According to a tweet by a spokesperson for Annan’s foundation, the former UN chief said in Rakhine today that "security operations must not impede humanitarian access where there is need.", news agency AP reported. "I'm not saying there are no difficulties," Suu Kyi told Singapore's Channel NewsAsia network today "but it helps if people recognize the difficulty and are more focused on resolving these difficulties rather than exaggerating them so that everything seems worse than it really is." Suu Kyi, whose party came to power in March after years of military-backed rule, has been criticized for not acting strongly to curb the violence against the Rohingyas, who generally are not allowed citizenship. (WION with inputs from AP)

Myanmar: Kofi Annan begins fact-finding visit to troubled Rakhine

At least 10,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh in recent weeks, fleeing violence in neighbouring Myanmar, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

&quot;Based on reports by various humanitarian agencies, we estimate that there could be 10,000 new arrivals in recent weeks,&quot; said Vivian Tan, a UN spokeswoman in Bangkok.

A senior UN official said the reputation of Aung San Suu Kyi&#39;s government in Myanmar is at stake amid international concerns over how it is dealing with violence in the country&#39;s divided northwest.&nbsp;

The bloody crackdown in the Rakhine state has sent thousands fleeing across the border amid allegations of abuse by security forces. The UN said, &quot;the situation is fast changing and the actual number could be much higher.&quot;&nbsp;

The United Nations was urging the Bangladesh government, which has stepped up patrols on the border, to allow the Rohingyas safe haven.&nbsp;

&quot;We are ready to support the government to provide effective humanitarian assistance for these individuals in need of international protection,&quot; she said.

On Tuesday, the UN OHCHR said Myanmar&#39;s treatment of the Rohingya could be tantamount to crimes against humanity, reiterating the findings of a June report.

Those interviewed by AFP inside Bangladesh had horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar&#39;s security forces.

Analysis of satellite images by Human Rights Watch found hundreds of buildings in Rohingya villages have been razed.

But Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse, saying the army is hunting &quot;terrorists&quot; behind raids on police posts last month.

The de facto leader vowed to work for &quot;peace and national reconciliation&quot; in the country but did not mention the violence in the Rakhine state.&nbsp;

Speaking at a business forum in Singapore, Suu Kyi said that multi-ethnic Myanmar needed to achieve stability to attract more investment.

(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Reiterating the findings of a June report, the UN said Myanmar's treatment of Rohingyas may be tantamount to crimes against humanity

At least 10,000 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh in recent weeks, fleeing violence in neighbouring Myanmar, the United Nations said on Wednesday. "Based on reports by various humanitarian agencies, we estimate that there could be 10,000 new arrivals in recent weeks," said Vivian Tan, a UN spokeswoman in Bangkok. A senior UN official said the reputation of Aung San Suu Kyi's government in Myanmar is at stake amid international concerns over how it is dealing with violence in the country's divided northwest. The bloody crackdown in the Rakhine state has sent thousands fleeing across the border amid allegations of abuse by security forces. The UN said, "the situation is fast changing and the actual number could be much higher." The United Nations was urging the Bangladesh government, which has stepped up patrols on the border, to allow the Rohingyas safe haven. "We are ready to support the government to provide effective humanitarian assistance for these individuals in need of international protection," she said. On Tuesday, the UN OHCHR said Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya could be tantamount to crimes against humanity, reiterating the findings of a June report. Those interviewed by AFP inside Bangladesh had horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar's security forces. Analysis of satellite images by Human Rights Watch found hundreds of buildings in Rohingya villages have been razed. But Myanmar has denied allegations of abuse, saying the army is hunting "terrorists" behind raids on police posts last month. The de facto leader vowed to work for "peace and national reconciliation" in the country but did not mention the violence in the Rakhine state. Speaking at a business forum in Singapore, Suu Kyi said that multi-ethnic Myanmar needed to achieve stability to attract more investment. (WION with inputs from agencies)

UN: Myanmar Rohingya abuse may be 'crimes against humanity'

Communities are being wiped and killed, for their colour, gender, religion or ethnic origin. It is a scourge on humanity and it is antithetical to the idea of liberal democracies that was envisaged for the last two centuries by prominent thinkers, politicians and leaders. But it is in these last two centuries that the world has witnessed some of the most brutal killings on a scale one has never seen before.

It is genocide

A UN official reportedly said that Myanmar is carrying out &lsquo;ethnic cleansing&rsquo; of Rohingya Muslims. The minority community is expe-riencing widespread violence, killings, gang rapes, torture and shootings. The remaining ones are fleeing Myanmar to the neighbouring nations.

According to a recent research, there will be no Hindus left in Bangladesh in the next 30 years. Hindus are migrating in hundreds every day from Bangladesh. The insecurities are making the Hindu minority community of Bangladesh to leave the country. This may not be a typical case of ethnic cleansing or genocide but a community is being completely wiped off from a nation.

Ethnic cleansing is defined as the expulsion of an &lsquo;undesirable&rsquo; population from a given territory due to religious or ethnic dis- crimination, political, strategic or ideological considerations, or a combination of these.

Ethnic cleansing, a scourge

The happenings in Myanmar are not unprecedented. Ethnic cleansing or genocide has been carried out by nations at different points in the history. In NorthAmerica, the Europeans drove out Native Americans from their lands forcing them to settle in allotted territories. In 1915, Turks massacred Armenians during World War I. From 1933 to 1945, Adolf Hilter carried out one of the largest ethnic cleansing episodes in the world by killing millions of Jews, believing that Aryans were a superior race. In the 1990s, ethnic cleansing happened in Yugoslavia;&nbsp; Serbia set out to ethnically cleanse the Bosnian territory from Bosnian Muslims called Bosniaks. in Rwanda, the majority Hutu ethnic group massacred hundreds of people of the minority Tutsis.&nbsp;

Closer home, in 1990 around half a million Kashmiri Pandits fled the state of Jammu and Kashmir as the majority Muslim community wanted to cleanse the state from its minority. It is said that the Muslims in Kashmir were instigated by militants who were, in turn, backed by Pakistan to raise demand for an Islamic state. As a result, several Kashmiri Pandits were massacred and a vast majority fled the state to live the life of a refugee in their own country. In cyclic fashion, today the influx of Rohingya refugees to states like Jammu and Kashmir leave them vulnerable to militancy, a key concern for India in the state.

The mindset, the future

What is currently happening in Myanmar is not unprecedented, but the fact that such episodes are still taking place in the world reflects a huge deviation from the path of building liberal democracies around the world.

India is often called the &lsquo;land of diversity&rsquo; where after every 100 km the language changes. It is said that there are innumerable religions, cultures, languages, ethnicities etc. all living together in harmony. But are we really living together in harmony? In a village, there is a clear demarcation between the areas inhabited by Muslims and Hindus. The distinction between the houses and amenities available to the upper castes and the lower castes is clearly visible. These demarcations have the potential to take the gruesome face of genocide or ethnic cleansing.

At present, there is a false sense of nationalism globally. Migration and terrorism have re-defined and distorted the definition of nationalism. It has become so rigid that the concepts of globalisation and liberalism are being diluted.

We belong to liberal democracies and have thrived under that idea, capable of dealing with religions and diversities around us.

If we want to continue on the path of liberal democracies we need to travel the path of amalgamation and assimilation. If any of us decide that we are superior to the other, then there is bound to be conflict and the peril of turning into genocides. The hope is that liberal democracy and acceptance of diverse communities will prevail and we will continue to thrive.

&nbsp;

Communities are being killed for their colour, gender, religion or ethnic origin right under our very noses

Communities are being wiped and killed, for their colour, gender, religion or ethnic origin. It is a scourge on humanity and it is antithetical to the idea of liberal democracies that was envisaged for the last two centuries by prominent thinkers, politicians and leaders. But it is in these last two centuries that the world has witnessed some of the most brutal killings on a scale one has never seen before. It is genocide A UN official reportedly said that Myanmar is carrying out ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Rohingya Muslims. The minority community is expe-riencing widespread violence, killings, gang rapes, torture and shootings. The remaining ones are fleeing Myanmar to the neighbouring nations. According to a recent research, there will be no Hindus left in Bangladesh in the next 30 years. Hindus are migrating in hundreds every day from Bangladesh. The insecurities are making the Hindu minority community of Bangladesh to leave the country. This may not be a typical case of ethnic cleansing or genocide but a community is being completely wiped off from a nation. Ethnic cleansing is defined as the expulsion of an ‘undesirable’ population from a given territory due to religious or ethnic dis- crimination, political, strategic or ideological considerations, or a combination of these. Ethnic cleansing, a scourge The happenings in Myanmar are not unprecedented. Ethnic cleansing or genocide has been carried out by nations at different points in the history. In NorthAmerica, the Europeans drove out Native Americans from their lands forcing them to settle in allotted territories. In 1915, Turks massacred Armenians during World War I. From 1933 to 1945, Adolf Hilter carried out one of the largest ethnic cleansing episodes in the world by killing millions of Jews, believing that Aryans were a superior race. In the 1990s, ethnic cleansing happened in Yugoslavia; Serbia set out to ethnically cleanse the Bosnian territory from Bosnian Muslims called Bosniaks. in Rwanda, the majority Hutu ethnic group massacred hundreds of people of the minority Tutsis. Closer home, in 1990 around half a million Kashmiri Pandits fled the state of Jammu and Kashmir as the majority Muslim community wanted to cleanse the state from its minority. It is said that the Muslims in Kashmir were instigated by militants who were, in turn, backed by Pakistan to raise demand for an Islamic state. As a result, several Kashmiri Pandits were massacred and a vast majority fled the state to live the life of a refugee in their own country. In cyclic fashion, today the influx of Rohingya refugees to states like Jammu and Kashmir leave them vulnerable to militancy, a key concern for India in the state. The mindset, the future What is currently happening in Myanmar is not unprecedented, but the fact that such episodes are still taking place in the world reflects a huge deviation from the path of building liberal democracies around the world. India is often called the ‘land of diversity’ where after every 100 km the language changes. It is said that there are innumerable religions, cultures, languages, ethnicities etc. all living together in harmony. But are we really living together in harmony? In a village, there is a clear demarcation between the areas inhabited by Muslims and Hindus. The distinction between the houses and amenities available to the upper castes and the lower castes is clearly visible. These demarcations have the potential to take the gruesome face of genocide or ethnic cleansing. At present, there is a false sense of nationalism globally. Migration and terrorism have re-defined and distorted the definition of nationalism. It has become so rigid that the concepts of globalisation and liberalism are being diluted. We belong to liberal democracies and have thrived under that idea, capable of dealing with religions and diversities around us. If we want to continue on the path of liberal democracies we need to travel the path of amalgamation and assimilation. If any of us decide that we are superior to the other, then there is bound to be conflict and the peril of turning into genocides. The hope is that liberal democracy and acceptance of diverse communities will prevail and we will continue to thrive.

Liberal democracy or genocide?

Facebook had a tool to weed out fake news circulating on the social network this year but declined to deploy it for fear of offending conservatives, a report said on Monday.

The report by the online news site Gizmodo comes with Facebook under fire for allowing hoaxes and misinformation to go viral and, according to some critics, boost the efforts of Republican Donald Trump in his successful presidential run.

Facebook denied the report.

Gizmodo, citing unnamed sources said to be knowledgeable about Facebook&#39;s decision-making, said the tool was shelved after a controversy over reports saying the social network suppressed some conservative voices in its &quot;trending topics&quot; earlier this year.

&quot;They absolutely have the tools to shut down fake news,&quot; Gizmodo quoted one source as saying. &quot;There was a lot of fear about upsetting conservatives after (the uproar over) trending topics.&quot;

A Facebook statement said that the claims made in the article were &quot;not true&quot;.

&quot;We did not build and withhold any News Feed changes based on their potential impact on any one political party,&quot; the statement from Facebook said.

&quot;We always work to make News Feed more meaningful and informative, and that includes examining the quality and accuracy of items shared, such as clickbait, spam and hoaxes.&quot;

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has rejected the idea that bogus stories shared at the social network paved a path of victory for Trump.

&quot;The idea that fake news on Facebook, which is a very small amount of the content, influenced the election in any way I think is a pretty crazy idea,&quot; Zuckerberg said during an on-stage chat at Technonomy, a technology trends conference in California.

In a weekend posting, Zuckerberg said dealing with hoaxes and fake news is complex.

&quot;This is an area where I believe we must proceed very carefully,&quot; he said.

&quot;Identifying the &#39;truth&#39; is complicated. While some hoaxes can be completely debunked, a greater amount of content, including from mainstream sources, often gets the basic idea right but some details wrong or omitted.&quot;

Bogus election results

The notion of hoaxes and fake news remained a topic of debate on Monday, when internet users searching on Google were delivered a bogus report saying Trump won the popular vote in addition to the Electoral College.

The numbers on a blog called 70News, contradicting official results tallied so far by states, said Trump received 62.9 million votes to 62.2 million for Hillary Clinton.

The blog urged those petitioning for the Electoral College to switch their votes to reflect popular will to scrap their effort.

&quot;Hey Change.org, scrap your loony petition now,&quot; the posting said.&nbsp;

The bogus site was listed at the top of many search queries for &quot;final election result&quot;.

Preliminary tallies showed Clinton won roughly 700,000 more votes than Trump despite losing the states needed for an Electoral College victory.

Google seeks &quot;to provide the most relevant and useful results for our users&quot;, a company statement to AFP said.

&quot;In this case, we clearly didn&#39;t get it right, but we are continually working to improve our algorithms.&quot;

(AFP)

China has put its armed forces on high alert and called for all sides to exercise restraint

Facebook had a tool to weed out fake news circulating on the social network this year but declined to deploy it for fear of offending conservatives, a report said on Monday. The report by the online news site Gizmodo comes with Facebook under fire for allowing hoaxes and misinformation to go viral and, according to some critics, boost the efforts of Republican Donald Trump in his successful presidential run. Facebook denied the report. Gizmodo, citing unnamed sources said to be knowledgeable about Facebook's decision-making, said the tool was shelved after a controversy over reports saying the social network suppressed some conservative voices in its "trending topics" earlier this year. "They absolutely have the tools to shut down fake news," Gizmodo quoted one source as saying. "There was a lot of fear about upsetting conservatives after (the uproar over) trending topics." A Facebook statement said that the claims made in the article were "not true". "We did not build and withhold any News Feed changes based on their potential impact on any one political party," the statement from Facebook said. "We always work to make News Feed more meaningful and informative, and that includes examining the quality and accuracy of items shared, such as clickbait, spam and hoaxes." Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has rejected the idea that bogus stories shared at the social network paved a path of victory for Trump. "The idea that fake news on Facebook, which is a very small amount of the content, influenced the election in any way I think is a pretty crazy idea," Zuckerberg said during an on-stage chat at Technonomy, a technology trends conference in California. In a weekend posting, Zuckerberg said dealing with hoaxes and fake news is complex. "This is an area where I believe we must proceed very carefully," he said. "Identifying the 'truth' is complicated. While some hoaxes can be completely debunked, a greater amount of content, including from mainstream sources, often gets the basic idea right but some details wrong or omitted." Bogus election results The notion of hoaxes and fake news remained a topic of debate on Monday, when internet users searching on Google were delivered a bogus report saying Trump won the popular vote in addition to the Electoral College. The numbers on a blog called 70News, contradicting official results tallied so far by states, said Trump received 62.9 million votes to 62.2 million for Hillary Clinton. The blog urged those petitioning for the Electoral College to switch their votes to reflect popular will to scrap their effort. "Hey Change.org, scrap your loony petition now," the posting said. The bogus site was listed at the top of many search queries for "final election result". Preliminary tallies showed Clinton won roughly 700,000 more votes than Trump despite losing the states needed for an Electoral College victory. Google seeks "to provide the most relevant and useful results for our users", a company statement to AFP said. "In this case, we clearly didn't get it right, but we are continually working to improve our algorithms." (AFP)

China says 3,000 flee Myanmar after fighting along border

Myanmar&#39;s security forces have killed almost 70 people since taking control of the northern Rakhine state last month, the army said, adding that media reports of widespread destruction in the area were &quot;false news&quot;.

 
Troops have poured into a strip of land along the border with Bangladesh, an area largely home to the Muslim Rohingya minority, since deadly raids on police border posts on October 9.

 
Clashes escalated over the weekend when troops killed more than 30 people in two days of fighting that saw the military use helicopter gunships for the first time.

 
A hunt for the attackers has seen a total of &quot;69 Bengalis (Rohingya) killed and 234 arrested&quot; between October 9 and November 14, according to a Facebook post by the army chief&#39;s office late Monday.

 
&quot;Seven soldiers, including one commanding officer... and 10 police sacrificed their lives&quot;, it added.

 
Myanmar&#39;s army has tightly-controlled information about their operations in the region and denies reports from activists that troops are killing civilians, raping women and torching homes.

 
Heavy restrictions on access to the area has made it difficult for foreign journalists and independent observers to verify the government reports or allegations of army abuse.

 
The army chief&#39;s office also hit out at figures from Human Rights Watch, which released satellite images they said showed more than 400 razed buildings in three Rohingya villages where clashes have taken place.

 
The army statement said only 227 buildings had been burnt down and accused Rohingya &quot;terrorist arsonists&quot; of setting fire to houses in a bid to discredit the military.

 
The statement, titled &quot;Countering false news released by some news agencies in connection with area combing in Maungtaw area, Rakhine state,&quot; said army &quot;officials are carrying out further scrutiny&quot; of media reports.

 
The swell of violence in Rakhine has posed the biggest challenge so far to Aung San Suu Kyi&#39;s government and raised questions over her civilian administration&#39;s ability to control the army.

 
Rakhine has sizzled with religious tension since violence between the majority Buddhist population and the Muslim Rohingya left more than 100 dead and pushed more than 100,000 into squalid displacement camps in 2012.

 
Suu Kyi has faced global censure from rights groups for failing to come out in strong defence of a minority that the UN has labelled as one of the world&#39;s most persecuted peoples.

&nbsp;

(AFP)

Clashes in the region have escalated over the weekend to the extent of the military using helicopter gunships for the first time

Myanmar's security forces have killed almost 70 people since taking control of the northern Rakhine state last month, the army said, adding that media reports of widespread destruction in the area were "false news". Troops have poured into a strip of land along the border with Bangladesh, an area largely home to the Muslim Rohingya minority, since deadly raids on police border posts on October 9. Clashes escalated over the weekend when troops killed more than 30 people in two days of fighting that saw the military use helicopter gunships for the first time. A hunt for the attackers has seen a total of "69 Bengalis (Rohingya) killed and 234 arrested" between October 9 and November 14, according to a Facebook post by the army chief's office late Monday. "Seven soldiers, including one commanding officer... and 10 police sacrificed their lives", it added. Myanmar's army has tightly-controlled information about their operations in the region and denies reports from activists that troops are killing civilians, raping women and torching homes. Heavy restrictions on access to the area has made it difficult for foreign journalists and independent observers to verify the government reports or allegations of army abuse. The army chief's office also hit out at figures from Human Rights Watch, which released satellite images they said showed more than 400 razed buildings in three Rohingya villages where clashes have taken place. The army statement said only 227 buildings had been burnt down and accused Rohingya "terrorist arsonists" of setting fire to houses in a bid to discredit the military. The statement, titled "Countering false news released by some news agencies in connection with area combing in Maungtaw area, Rakhine state," said army "officials are carrying out further scrutiny" of media reports. The swell of violence in Rakhine has posed the biggest challenge so far to Aung San Suu Kyi's government and raised questions over her civilian administration's ability to control the army. Rakhine has sizzled with religious tension since violence between the majority Buddhist population and the Muslim Rohingya left more than 100 dead and pushed more than 100,000 into squalid displacement camps in 2012. Suu Kyi has faced global censure from rights groups for failing to come out in strong defence of a minority that the UN has labelled as one of the world's most persecuted peoples. (AFP)

70 killed in month of Rakhine violence: Myanmar army

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