Myanmar govt. directly involved in killing Rohingya muslims: Iran MP

Source Presstv, 1 Nov

 

An Iranian lawmaker says the government of Myanmar is directly involved in the ongoing massacre of Rohingya Muslims in the Southeast Asian country.

A Muslim Rohingya woman breastfeeds her baby at a school sheltering Internally Displaced Persons in the village of Theik Kayk Pyim, Myanmar, on October 11, 2012.

"Most activities in Myanmar are controlled by the government and it is unlikely that such incident [the massacre of Rohingya Muslims] with [so many] dimensions and immensity can be made limited to an ethnic-religious conflict," Mohammad-Mehdi Zahedi said on Wednesday.

The lawmaker went on to say that considering dictatorial and military nature of Myanmar's government, it is certain that the ongoing genocide of Muslims is going on through support of government forces.

Zahedi further argued that Myanmar's government should be held accountable by international organizations to explain about massacre of Muslim people in that country.

The Buddhist-majority government of Myanmar refuses to recognize Rohingyas and has classified them as illegal migrants though the Rohingyas are said to be Muslim descendants of Persian, Turkish, Bengali, and Pathan origins, who migrated to Myanmar as early as the 8th century.

According to UN statistics, over 28,000 people, more than 97 percent Muslims, have been forced out of their homes as a result of escalating sectarian violence in Myanmar.

On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that there is a shortage of food, water and medical help at the already overcrowded camps in western Myanmar.

TNP/SS