Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh

Violence erupted there August 25, when a group of Rohingya militants attacked dozens of police posts and an army base in what they said was an effort to protect their ethnic minority from persecution.

“The massacres of villagers and mass arson driving people from their homes are all crimes against humanity”, he noted.

He said the reports are a conspiracy carried out by an organized group.

Myanmar must stop the violence and “the practice of ethnic cleansing”, agree to allow a United Nations fact-finding mission, ensure the return of refugees and abide by a report that recommends citizenship for the Rohingya, said Hasina.

“We also urge Myanmar to fulfill its commitment to immediately implement the recommendations of the final report of the Advisory Commission of the Rakhine State”, it said.

The meeting was also requested by Egypt, Kazakhstan, Senegal and Sweden, which are non-permanent council members.

Stephane Dujarric, chief United Nations spokesman, said earlier in the day that some 436,000 refugees from northern Rakhine, mostly women and children, have arrived in Bangladesh. The vast majority of Rohingya refugees are women, children, and elderly people requiring additional aid and protection.

The violence has caused a mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas to Bangladesh.

The UNSC has already held two meetings behind closed doors since the fresh wave of violence began on August 25.

It acknowledged that the situation in Rakhine is a complex inter-communal issue with deep historical roots and welcomed the commitment by the Myanmar authorities to end the violence. Under such horrendous circumstances, almost 1.1 million Rohingyas have fled Myanmar due to widespread persecution and have taken shelter in neighbouring countries such as India, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh and South East Asian countries.

They called on the government to provide uninterrupted humanitarian access to global organizations to assist what may be hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people in Rakhine State.

“They have been in India for a while, taking small steps, living their lives with dignity”.

“Terms such as atrocities, ethnic cleansing and genocide must not be used lightly”, Suan said, speaking from his delegation’s usual seat on the floor of the General Assembly, as required under reply rules.

USA officials have been reticent in finding fault with Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s handling of the crisis, but have been increasingly critical of the conduct of the military, which controls security operations in the strife-hit region.

In early September, Anifah said the Malaysian government had lost confidence in the regional bloc over its response to the Rakhine issue.

The de facto regime of refugee protection, wherein the UNHCR was allowed to function without impairment, must continue, and Rohingyas must be provided with all possible protections from the State without regard for political considerations, much as how the government assisted Tibetan refugees more than half a century ago.