Nearly 90,000 Rohingya Escape Myanmar Violence

Crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State.

Kuala Lumpur, MINA – Nearly 90,000 Rohingya have fled since violence erupted in Myanmar’s northwestern Rakhine state, KUNA reported, quoting Myanmar rights group on Tuesday.

According to a report issued by the Bangkok-based independent Burma Human Rights Network, the systematic persecution of minority Muslims is on the rise across Myanmar and not confined to the northwestern state of Rakhine.

The persecution was backed by the government, elements among the country’s Buddhist monks, and ultra-nationalist civilian groups, it added.

The report said many Muslims of all ethnicities have been refused national identification cards, while access to Islamic places of worship has been blocked in some places.

At least 21 villages around Myanmar have declared themselves “no-go zones” for Muslims, backed by the authorities, it said.

In Rakhine state, the report highlighted growing segregation between Buddhists and Muslim communities and severe travel restriction for the Muslim Rohingyas, which limited their access to health care and education.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled into neighboring countries since August 25, when Rohingya insurgents attacked dozens of police posts and an army base. The ensuing clashes and a military counter-offensive have killed at least 400 people. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)