Rights group calls on Myanmar to stop violence

Dhaka – Rights activists have called on Myanmar authorities to create an atmosphere for safe return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled their homes amid violence in the restive Rakhine state in the recent months.

South Asian Human Rights, a platform of activists from the region, made the call Monday after conducting a fact finding mission in Rohingya camps in south-eastern Bangladeshi district of Cox’s Bazar.

It also urged the authorities to shun the path of violence that forced more than 640,000 Rohingya to cross into Bangladesh for safety after the Myanmar military launched crackdown targeting the minority Muslims in Rakhine state.

The group, which conducted the mission between December 6 and 10 in the camps, says the refugees have been facing shortage of basic amenities in terms of food, shelter and healthcare in those camps.

Rights activist Sultana Kamal, also the head of the group, told journalists in Dhaka at a news conference that women in the camps are at constant risk of trafficking. The fact finding mission visited Kutupalong and Balukhali camps in Ukhiya where the refugees live in small shanties.

The rights group also called on Bangladeshi government to take effective measures to prevent the influence of extremist forces and human traffickers in the refugee camps.

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