myanmar violence may have killed more than 1000
Wednesday 25 December 2024
Last Updated : GMT 09:40:38
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

urging Aung San Suu Kyi to speak out

Myanmar violence may have killed more than 1,000

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicleMyanmar violence may have killed more than 1,000

In the last two weeks alone 164,000 mostly Rohingya civilians have fled to Bangladesh
Seoul - Muslimchronicle

More than 1,000 people may already have been killed in Myanmar, mostly minority Rohingya Muslims -- more than twice the government's total -- a senior United Nations representative told AFP on Friday, urging Aung San Suu Kyi to speak out.

In the last two weeks alone 270,000 mostly Rohingya civilians have fled to Bangladesh, overwhelming refugee camps that were already bursting at the seams, the UN said.

Others have died trying to flee the fighting in Rakhine state, where witnesses say entire villages have been burned since Rohingya militants launched a series of coordinated attacks on August 25, prompting a military-led crackdown.

On the basis of witness testimonies and the pattern of previous outbreaks of violence, said Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, "perhaps about a thousand or more are already dead".

"This might be from both sides but it would be heavily concentrated on the Rohingya population."

The Rohingya have long been subjected to discrimination in mostly Buddhist Myanmar, which regards them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship even if they have lived in the country for generations.

Bangladesh has struggled to cope with the latest influx, which takes the number of Rohingya refugees in camps on its border with Myanmar to around 670,000.

Of these, nearly 357,000 -- a third of Myanmar's total Rohingya population -- have left since October when the latest upsurge in violence began.

The UN said there was a sharp increase in arrivals on Wednesday, when at least 300 boats from Myanmar landed in Bangladesh.

Scores of Rohingya have drowned trying to make the perilous sea journey in boats that the Bangladesh authorities say are woefully inadequate at this time of year, when the sea is rough. Many of the dead were children.

- Worst disaster in years -

Lee, a South Korean academic, told AFP she feared "it's going to be one of the worst disasters that the world and Myanmar has seen in recent years".

The figures she gave are far higher than official tolls, which total 432, including 15 security personnel and 30 civilians -- seven Rohingyas, seven Hindus and 16 Rakhine Buddhists.

In an interview at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, where she is a professor in the department of child psychology and education, Lee said it was "highly possible" the government had "underestimated numbers".

"The unfortunate thing, the serious thing is that we can't verify that now with no access."

Lee expressed scepticism about authorities' claims that the Rohingya were burning their own houses, pointing out that nearby Buddhist villages were untouched -- and it is the rainy season.

"If you have got people with guns and you're running away and it's damp, how easily can you set your own house on fire?" she asked.

- Forget the icon -

Myanmar's Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who spent years under house arrest when Myanmar was a military dictatorship, is now the country's de facto leader with the title of State Counsellor.

She has faced criticism for failing to condemn the violence, leaving her global reputation in tatters.

Earlier this week Suu Kyi, 72, condemned a "huge iceberg of misinformation" on the crisis, without mentioning the Rohingya flocking to Bangladesh.

On Thursday she told Indian news agency ANI the situation in Rakhine was "one of the biggest challenges that we've had to face".

"I think it is a little unreasonable to expect us to resolve everything in 18 months," she added.

Rights groups, activists -- including many who campaigned for her in the past -- and her fellow Nobel laureates Malala Yousafzai and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have condemned her.

In a letter Tutu told his "dearly beloved younger sister" that "the images we are seeing of the suffering of the Rohingya fill us with pain and dread".

"It is incongruous for a symbol of righteousness to lead such a country; it is adding to our pain," he added.

Lee pointed out that around 86 percent of Myanmar's population is Buddhist.

"What we forget is that she is a politician through and through. People expect her to have that big high moral voice but she's a politician, and what's the most important objective if you are a politician? Getting elected," she said.

"I think we need to delete our memories of the imprisoned democratic icon."

source: AFP

themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

myanmar violence may have killed more than 1000 myanmar violence may have killed more than 1000

 



Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

GMT 21:49 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Trump to tell Erdogan of concern over Syria offensive

GMT 08:26 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Five things to know about Davos

GMT 16:13 2018 Sunday ,14 January

Netanyahu urges Macron to 'fix' Iran nuclear deal

GMT 10:17 2016 Thursday ,21 January

WHO confirms second new Ebola case in Sierra Leone

GMT 13:33 2011 Wednesday ,06 July

Russia bids to expand Arctic border to seek gas

GMT 09:06 2011 Wednesday ,21 September

Powerful typhoon hits Japan

GMT 11:15 2011 Wednesday ,03 August

2 glaciers in Nepal to disappear

GMT 19:01 2017 Saturday ,19 August

Finland suspect an asylum seeker, targeted women

GMT 02:45 2017 Wednesday ,08 February

Coup defeat a matter of time, says Yemeni VP

GMT 17:38 2017 Friday ,14 July

Saad Lamjarred denied issuance of new song

GMT 16:02 2011 Thursday ,21 April

Chelsea squad not good enough

GMT 11:29 2011 Tuesday ,19 July

Etihad Towers on track for delivery

GMT 02:05 2017 Wednesday ,22 February

UAE takes keen interest in supporting higher education

GMT 07:17 2017 Saturday ,01 July

Key US inflation measure declines in May

GMT 08:58 2017 Thursday ,14 September

US Olympians celebrate LA 2028 'now it's real'

GMT 07:15 2013 Wednesday ,06 November

Boost your detox-ability

GMT 01:39 2017 Saturday ,04 February

Cutting off a helping hand

GMT 15:00 2017 Monday ,09 January

Winter storm heads toward northeastern US
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
 
 Themuslimchronicle Facebook,themuslimchronicle facebook  Themuslimchronicle Twitter,themuslimchronicle twitter Themuslimchronicle Rss,themuslimchronicle rss  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2023 ©

muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle