Report documents Rohingya persecution

Rights group says Myanmar's minority Muslim group has been subjected to ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

Ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity have been committed against Myanmar's ethnic Rohingya people, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York-based nongovernmental organisation.

According to the report released ...on Monday, entitled All You Can Do is Pray, more than 125,000 ethnic Rohingya have been forcibly displaced since two waves of violence in May and October 2012.

Satellite images show almost 5,000 structures on land mostly owned by Muslim Rohingya have been destroyed, says the report.

The October attacks, the report states, were coordinated by Myanmar government officials, an ethnic Rakhine nationalist party and Buddhist monks. The deadliest attack took place on October 23, in which witnesses say at least 70 Rohingya - including 28 children - were massacred in Mrauk-U township.

The UN has described the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.

Most Rohingya who live in Myanmar's western Rakhine state are denied citizenship by the Myanmar government, which claims they are illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh and often refers to them as "Bengali".

The Myanmar government has done nothing to prevent the violence, alleges the report, and at times government forces have joined in the attacks on the Rohingya.

"The Burmese government engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya that continues today through the denial of aid and restrictions on movement," Phil Robertson, HRW's deputy Asia director, said.

"The government needs to put an immediate stop to the abuses and hold the perpetrators accountable or it will be responsible for further violence against ethnic and religious minorities in the country."

In response to a letter from Human Rights Watch, the Myanmar government asserted that "the armed force, police force and militias handled the conflicts between the two communities in accordance with the existing laws, rules and regulations taking care of providing security in order to restore law and order and tranquillity".

Allegations that the police used excessive force to handle the outbreak of violence in June "were unfounded and not true information", the government said, adding that authorities faced "unfounded bias" from media both within and outside the country.

Conflicts between Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhine have long roiled Rakhine. During World War II, clashes between the Rakhine, who supported Japanese forces, and the Rohingya, who supported the British, led to many deaths.

EU lifts sanctions against Myanmar

Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest as part of reforms [Reuters]

The European Union has lifted the last of the bloc's trade, economic and individual sanctions against Myanmar, in response to the South Asian country's political reforms.

Monday's decision came on the same day rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report that said Myanmar waged "a campaign of ethnic cleansing" against the Rohingya community, citing evidence of mass graves and forced displacement affecting tens of thousands.

"In response to the changes that have taken place and in the expectation that they will continue, the Council [of ministers] has decided to lift all sanctions with the exception of the embargo on arms," said a statement approved without a vote on Monday.
"The EU is willing to open a new chapter in its relations with Myanmar/Burma, building a lasting partnership," it added.

The EU began easing sanctions against Myanmar a year ago as the military, in power for decades, progressively ceded power to civilians and implemented largescale reforms of the economy.
Thein Sein, Myanmar's president, announced a slew of political reforms which resulted in release of political prisoners, most prominent among them Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ministers noted, however, that there were "still significant challenges to be addressed", in particular an end to hostilities in Kachin state and improving the plight of the Rohingya people.
Phil Robertson, the HRW Asia head, said lifting the sanctions was "premature and regrettable", warning that the move lessens leverage over Myanmar.
Myanmar views its population of roughly 800,000 Rohingya as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship.
To help Myanmar's economy, the EU will look at the feasibility of a bilateral investment agreement, as well as more development assistance.
The EU is also studying the possibility of assisting reform of the police service, in partnership with its parliament, to help it deal with inter-communal violence, the statement said.