The Myanmar government said on Wednesday it will not cooperate with UN human rights envoy Yanghee Lee nor grant her access to the country to investigate rights abuses there, calling a statement she made in July biased (DW)
Myanmar Razed Rohingya Lands, HRW Says
Buildings were razed in forty villages home to Rohingya Muslims days after the government signed a refugee repatriation deal with neighboring Bangladesh, according to Human Rights Watch. The rights group called Myanmar’s stated commitment to ensure the safe return of Rohingya “a public relations stunt” (Associated Press)
Thousands Killed in First Month of Myanmar Crackdown, Aid Group Says
More than 6,700 Rohingya Muslims were killed in the first month of a government crackdown in Rakhine State that started in late August, according to the medical charity Doctors Without Borders. The total greatly exceeds an earlier death toll of four hundred for that period (Guardian)
U.S. House of Representatives Condemns Situation in Myanmar
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a resolution condemning the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, a move that could lead to a sanctions bill targeting the country’s military (Voice of America)
Pope Calls for Respecting All Ethnic Groups in Myanmar
During a trip to Myanmar, Pope Francis said the country’s future depends on respecting the rights of each of its ethnic groups. The Catholic leader, who met with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, did not use the word Rohingya to refer to the country’s persecuted Muslim minority or mention an ongoing military crackdown in Rakhine State (Associated Press)
Pope Visits Myanmar Amid Rohingya Crisis
Pope Francis arrived in Myanmar today for a three-day visit, during which he is set to meet with State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and the commander of the armed forces (BBC)
China Proposes a Resolution to the Rohingya Refugee Crisis
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, standing alongside Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, laid out a proposal for resolving the Rohingya refugee crisis that includes a cease-fire and repatriation for those who have fled Myanmar (Bloomberg)
UN Urges Myanmar to Give Rohingya Citizenship
A UN human rights committee has approved a resolution calling on Myanmar to facilitate the return of Rohingya refugees and grant the persecuted Muslim minority full citizenship rights. China, Laos, the Philippines, Russia, and Vietnam voted against the measure (Associated Press)
Report Indicates Systematic Rape in Myanmar
National security forces carried out gang rapes of Rohingya women and girls in recent attacks on villages in Rakhine State, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (New York Times)
Tillerson, in Myanmar, Calls to Investigate Rohingya Abuses
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, meeting with State Counselor Aung Sang Suu Kyi and a top military commander, said the United States may consider targeted sanctions on Myanmar but that broad-based ones are not advisable. Tillerson urged the Myanmar leaders to investigate credible reports of atrocities in the country (New York Times)
U.S. Lawmakers Propose Myanmar Sanctions
A bipartisan group of senators has proposed reinstating some sanctions on Myanmar that were lifted in 2016 in light of the country’s steps toward democracy as well as barring most U.S. assistance to Myanmar’s military. The proposed sanctions do not target State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (Reuters)
Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi Visits Rakhine
Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto leader, visited Rakhine State for the first time since a crackdown by security forces against Rohingya Muslims began there in August. The crackdown, which the United Nations has called disproportionate and tantamount to ethnic cleansing, has prompted an exodus of more than half a million refugees from the ethnic minority, largely to Bangladesh. The leader, accompanied by military and state officials, met with Rohingya still residing in the country (Guardian)
Thousands Protest in Favor of Myanmar Military
Thousands of people demonstrated in support of Myanmar’s military in Yangon yesterday. A crackdown by security forces on areas populated by Rohingya Muslim minorities has prompted an exodus of more than half a million refugees (Voice of America)
United States Takes Steps Aimed at Myanmar’s Military, Considers Sanctions
The U.S. State Department said yesterday it is ending travel waivers for members of the military in Myanmar and is cutting off units and officers from receiving U.S. assistance; it is also considering sanctions available under U.S. law for parties responsible for rights abuses in Myanmar (Reuters)
Indian FM Rebukes Myanmar Over Rohingya Exodus
The foreign minister said on Sunday that Myanmar “must take back” its nationals and that neighboring Bangladesh has suffered a “big burden” since nearly six hundred thousand Rohingya Muslim refugees fled Myanmar following an August crackdown by security forces (Associated Press)
UN Begins Cholera Vaccination Campaign
The United Nations launched a cholera vaccination campaign targeting 650,000 people in refugee camps in southeast Bangladesh. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled to the country from Myanmar since August (AFP)
Bangladesh Destroys Boats Used by Rohingya Refugees
Bangladeshi border authorities have destroyed some twenty vessels that carried Rohingya refugees fleeing neighboring Myanmar in what a border guard commander said was an effort to combat trafficking of humans and methamphetamines. Refugees reported they were beaten at the border (Reuters)
UN Releases Emergency Funds for Rohingya Refugees
The United Nations has released $12 million in emergency relief funds for basic necessities and medical care for the estimated half million Rohingya Muslims who have fled Myanmar in recent weeks. The body said while Bangladesh has “offered a generous welcome” to Rohingya refugees, the solution lies in Myanmar (Voice of America)
Foreign Diplomats Tour Rakhine State
Authorities took three groups of foreign diplomats to tour Rakhine State on Monday; the nationality of the diplomats was not made public. Myanmar has been criticized for not allowing journalists and observers access to the region, where a crackdown by security forces has prompted an exodus of half a million Rohingya Muslims (Associated Press)
U.S. Accuses Myanmar of “Brutal” Campaign Against Rohingya
The United States has called on countries to suspend weapons sales to Myanmar, which U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said appears to be carrying out a “brutal” campaign to “cleanse the country of an ethnic minority” (Reuters)
Red Cross Aid Unable to Reach Rohingya
A truck and boat carrying needed aid supplies supplied by the International Committee of the Red Cross were unable to reach Rohingya refugees who have fled into Bangladesh or chosen to remain in Myanmar (BBC)
Aung San Suu Kyi Gives Speech on Rohingya Crisis
State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi said in a public speech today that Myanmar condemns “all human rights violations” after the United Nations described a military campaign in the country’s Rakhine State as “ethnic cleansing” (Washington Post)
Rohingya Continue to Flee Myanmar
A Myanmar government spokesman today said nearly 40 percent of Rohingya villages in Rakhine State are now empty, and estimates indicate more than 370,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh. The UN estimates that at least 1,000 people have been killed since violence broke out in late August 2017 (CNN)
As Outcry Grows, Security Council Calls Meeting Over Rohingya Crisis
The UN Security Council will meet today to discuss the Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar, where an estimated 370,000 Rohingya have fled the country in recent weeks following a crackdown in response to militia attacks on police (Al Jazeera)
State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi will not attend an upcoming session of the UN General Assembly to focus on “terrorist attacks” in Rakhine State, according to her office (DW)
Dalai Lama Urges Peaceful Resolution in Myanmar
The Dalai Lama called on Myanmar’s state counselor, Aung San Suu Kyi, as a “fellow Nobel Laureate” to find a humane solution to the conflict between Burmese security forces and the Rohingya Muslim minority (Voice of America)