65,000 Rohingyas enter Bangladesh: UN

At least 65,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar—a third of them over the past week—since the army launched a crackdown in the north of Rakhine state, the UN said yesterday, reports AFP from Yangon. The figure marks a sharp escalation in the numbers fleeing a military campaign which rights groups say has been marred by abuses so severe they could amount to crimes against humanity. They also come the same day the UN’s human rights envoy for Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, began a 12-day visit to probe violence in the country’s borderlands that will take her to the army-controlled area. “Over the past week, 22,000 new arrivals were reported to have crossed the border from Rakhine state,” the UN’s relief agency said in its weekly report. “As of 5 January, an estimated 65,000 people are residing in registered camps, makeshift settlements and host communities in Cox’s Bazaar” in southern Bangladesh, said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The exodus of Rohingya from northern Rakhine began after Myanmar’s army launched clearance operations while searching for insurgents behind deadly raids on police border posts three months ago.
Escapees from the persecuted Muslim minority in Bangladesh have given harrowing accounts of security forces committing mass rape, murder
and arson.
The stories have cast a pall over the young government of Aung San Suu Kyi, with mainly Muslim Malaysia being especially critical.
Myanmar’s government has said the claims of abuse are fabricated and launched a special commission to investigate the allegations.
Last week it presented its interim report denying accusations of “genocide and religious persecution” and saying there was insufficient evidence that troops had been committing rape.
That judgement came days after a video emerged showing police beating Rohingya civilians, something the government said was an isolated incident after the officers were arrested.
UN’s Lee began her own probe yesterday with a visit to Kachin state, where thousands have been displaced by fighting between ethnic rebels and the army.
Lee, who has faced threats and demonstrations on previous visits over her comments on Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya, is due to visit Rakhine before leaving on January 20. Hardline Buddhist monk Wirathu caused outrage when he called her a “whore in our country” for criticising controversial legislation considered discriminatory to women and minorities.
Another report adds: Hardline Buddhist nationalists stopped a Muslim religious ceremony in Yangon on Sunday, witnesses and organisers said, as Islamophobic tensions boil over amid a bloody military campaign against Rohingya in northern Rakhine state. Dozens of people, led by a handful of maroon-robed monks, marched to the YMCA in Myanmar’s commercial capital to shut down a service marking the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday.
“We have celebrated this festival for my whole life. Now this seems like an attack on freedom of religion,” Kyaw Nyein, secretary of the Ulama Islam organisation, told AFP.
“The monks tried to stop the ceremony without saying what we had done wrong... Why aren’t authorities taking action?”
Witnesses, who asked not to be named, said the monks barged into the ceremony shortly after it started demanding it be shut down.
Police were called, but did not intervene to stop the hardliners. Tin Maung Win, vice president of the festival organising committee, said Buddhist nationalists were trying to stir up political dissent against the NLD government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
He said the religious extremists supported the military-backed USDP party and see the new elected government, which took power last year after winning the first free election in some 50 years, as being too soft on Muslims.
“We held the festival here for seven years without any violence, but today it happened. This is because of political interests,” he told AFP.
Long-simmering lslamophobic sentiment has been on the rise in Myanmar since deadly communal violence erupted between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine state in 2012.
In recent years Buddhist hardliners have sought to restrict Muslim worship, destroying mosques and trying to ban ceremonies such as the ritual slaughter of cattle during the festival of Eid al-Adha. Tensions have boiled over since attacks on police posts along the Bangladesh border in October, which the government has blamed on Rohingya insurgents led by foreign fighters and backed by Middle Eastern money.
Until the recent fighting, the Rohingya had generally eschewed political violence despite decades of persecution. Dozens have died in the ensuing military crackdown, sending some 50,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh telling stories of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar security forces that activists say could amount to crimes against humanity.

65,000 Rohingyas enter Bangladesh: UN

At least 65,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmara third of them over the past weeksince the army launched a crackdown in the north of Rakhine state, the UN said yesterday, reports AFP from Yangon. The figure marks a sharp escalation in the numbers fleeing a military campaign which rights groups say has been marred by abuses so severe they could amount to crimes against humanity. They also come the same day the UNs human rights envoy for Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, began a 12-day visit to probe violence in the countrys borderlands that will take her to the army-controlled area. Over the past week, 22,000 new arrivals were reported to have crossed the border from Rakhine state, the UNs relief agency said in its weekly report. As of 5 January, an estimated 65,000 people are residing in registered camps, makeshift settlements and host communities in Coxs Bazaar in southern Bangladesh, said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The exodus of Rohingya from northern Rakhine began after Myanmars army launched clearance operations while searching for insurgents behind deadly raids on police border posts three months ago. Escapees from the persecuted Muslim minority in Bangladesh have given harrowing accounts of security forces committing mass rape, murder and arson. The stories have cast a pall over the young government of Aung San Suu Kyi, with mainly Muslim Malaysia being especially critical. Myanmars government has said the claims of abuse are fabricated and launched a special commission to investigate the allegations. Last week it presented its interim report denying accusations of genocide and religious persecution and saying there was insufficient evidence that troops had been committing rape. That judgement came days after a video emerged showing police beating Rohingya civilians, something the government said was an isolated incident after the officers were arrested. UNs Lee began her own probe yesterday with a visit to Kachin state, where thousands have been displaced by fighting between ethnic rebels and the army. Lee, who has faced threats and demonstrations on previous visits over her comments on Myanmars treatment of the Rohingya, is due to visit Rakhine before leaving on January 20. Hardline Buddhist monk Wirathu caused outrage when he called her a whore in our country for criticising controversial legislation considered discriminatory to women and minorities. Another report adds: Hardline Buddhist nationalists stopped a Muslim religious ceremony in Yangon on Sunday, witnesses and organisers said, as Islamophobic tensions boil over amid a bloody military campaign against Rohingya in northern Rakhine state. Dozens of people, led by a handful of maroon-robed monks, marched to the YMCA in Myanmars commercial capital to shut down a service marking the Prophet Mohammeds birthday. We have celebrated this festival for my whole life. Now this seems like an attack on freedom of religion, Kyaw Nyein, secretary of the Ulama Islam organisation, told AFP. The monks tried to stop the ceremony without saying what we had done wrong... Why arent authorities taking action? Witnesses, who asked not to be named, said the monks barged into the ceremony shortly after it started demanding it be shut down. Police were called, but did not intervene to stop the hardliners. Tin Maung Win, vice president of the festival organising committee, said Buddhist nationalists were trying to stir up political dissent against the NLD government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. He said the religious extremists supported the military-backed USDP party and see the new elected government, which took power last year after winning the first free election in some 50 years, as being too soft on Muslims. We held the festival here for seven years without any violence, but today it happened. This is because of political interests, he told AFP. Long-simmering lslamophobic sentiment has been on the rise in Myanmar since deadly communal violence erupted between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine state in 2012. In recent years Buddhist hardliners have sought to restrict Muslim worship, destroying mosques and trying to ban ceremonies such as the ritual slaughter of cattle during the festival of Eid al-Adha. Tensions have boiled over since attacks on police posts along the Bangladesh border in October, which the government has blamed on Rohingya insurgents led by foreign fighters and backed by Middle Eastern money. Until the recent fighting, the Rohingya had generally eschewed political violence despite decades of persecution. Dozens have died in the ensuing military crackdown, sending some 50,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh telling stories of rape, murder and arson at the hands of Myanmar security forces that activists say could amount to crimes against humanity.