UN chief Antonio Guterres has said he heard “unimaginable accounts of killing and rape” from Rohingya refugees who had fled to Bangladesh since last August to escape violence in Burma.
Guterres said after visiting sprawling refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district that the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have taken shelter there want “justice and a safe return home”.
The UN secretary general was visiting Bangladesh to meet refugees who have been seeking protection from the United Nations and the international community.
He said at a news conference that the refugees had to live under terrible conditions in the camps because of massive violations of their human rights in Burma. He praised Bangladesh’s government for being generous towards the refugees.
“It is impossible to visit these camps without breaking our hearts,” Guterres said. “It is possibly one of the most tragic stories in relation to ... systematic violation of human rights.”
On Sunday, he met Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina and assured her of the UN’s continuing support for Rohingya.
The recent wave of violence in Burma began when Rohingya insurgents staged a series of attacks on August 25 on about 30 security outposts and other targets.
In a subsequent crackdown described by UN officials as “ethnic cleansing”, Burmese security forces have been accused of rape, killing, torture and the burning of Rohingya homes. Thousands are believed to have been killed.
Rohingya are denied citizenship in overwhelmingly Buddhist Burma, where they have faced persecution for decades. They are derided as “Bengalis”, and many in Burma believe they are illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh and Burma signed an agreement in November to start repatriating the Rohingya in January, but the process has been delayed over safety concerns and a complicated verification process.
Global human rights groups and the UN said conditions in Burma were not safe for the refugees to return.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here