Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug 24, 2018 / 14:47 pm
One year after the Burmese government launched a brutal campaign of violence against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, human rights activists are calling for increased international efforts to alleviate the suffering of refugees.
"It has be[en] one year since the men, women and children were traumatized and essentially wiped out of their native lands," said the Faith Coalition to Stop Genocide in Burma.
"Nearly a million indigenous Burmese are now living in refugee camps in Bangladesh today… the time for talking is over, and the time to act is now," the coalition said in an Aug. 24 statement. It urged the U.S. government to issue an official genocide declaration and impose sanctions on the Burmese government.
The Rohingya are a Muslim minority in Burma (Myanmar). The Burmese government refuses to use the term Rohingya, and considers them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. They have been denied citizenship and numerous other rights since a controversial law was enacted in 1982.