Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Bangladesh condemned for refusing to allow stateless Muslims to escape ethnic violence in Burma...

The Bangladeshi authorities have been condemned for refusing to allow hundreds of stateless Muslims escape from ethnic violence that has gripped western Burma for the past two weeks. The crisis is a challenge for Burma’s president Thein Sein, who has promised to work towards democracy and national reconciliation.

On the day that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi left Burma for a tour of European nations, reports said boats containing up to 1,500 members of the Rohingya community had in the last few days been prevented from entering the waters of neighbouring Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands live in unofficial camps.

At least 21 people have been killed and more than 1,500 homes set alight in recent days as some of the worst ethnic violence in decades took hold of Burma’s Rakhine state. As the UN pulled its staff from the area, President Thein Sein announced a state of emergency and dispatched troops to keep order.

Ethnic tension in that part of Burma has existed for decades and the Rohingya have been described as among the world’s most persecuted communities. Though they have lived in Burma for centuries, they have barely any rights and campaigners say they are routinely mistreated. Full story...

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