Arakan News Agency
Pressure has mounted on Myanmar to end the violence that has caused some 400,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh, where the United States has called for the protection of civilians and urged Bangladesh to provide safe areas to enable refugees to return to their homes.
But China, which is competing with the United States for influence with its southern neighbor, said it supported Myanmar’s efforts to protect “development and stability.”
The Myanmar government says its security forces are fighting Rohingya militants behind a wave of violence in Arakan state that began on August 25th and is doing everything in its power to avoid harming civilians.
The government says some 400 people have died in fighting in the western state.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights criticized Myanmar on Monday over the “brutal military operation” against Muslim Rohingya in what he called “a blatant example of ethnic cleansing.”
The United States said that the exodus of Muslim Rohingya indicates that the security forces in Myanmar do not protect civilians. Washington is a strong supporter of Myanmar’s transition to democracy led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi after decades of strict military rule.
“We call on Myanmar’s security authorities to respect the rule of law, stop violence and end the displacement of civilians from all societies,” the White House said in a statement.
Myanmar government spokesmen could not be reached, but the Foreign Ministry said before the White House statement that Myanmar was also concerned about the suffering. She said the country’s security forces were doing their legitimate duty to restore security in response to hardline actions.
The mass exodus to Bangladesh continues without any sign of a drop, with a spokeswoman for the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) saying 400,000 people arrived there compared to 313,000 days ago.
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Myanmar should establish safe areas to enable refugees to return to their homes.
The Government of Myanmar regards some 1 million Rohingyas as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh and denies them citizenship, although many Rohingya families have been living in Myanmar for a long time.
