In Myanmar, also known as Burma, there is a disturbing trend towards ethnic cleansing that the UN must address immediately, to ensure that ethnic Rohingya people are not being targeted by the Myannmar government. Satellite images showing widespread fire damage in Rohingya villages imply a shocking violence towards the Rohingya and yet the government says that the Rohingya are setting fire to their own homes.
The Rohingya are a Muslim minority who have been historically not accepted in Myannmar people, despite many having lived there for many generations. Many are currently fleeing the violence to nearby Bangladesh.
The current conflict started when armed gunman attacked three police outposts and made off with weapons and ammunition. The Myannmar government claims that the attackers were Rohingya, yet the responsibility, to date, remains unclear.
Since then, the Myannmar government has targeted Rohingya villages claiming to "sweep" the area to find the attackers. This seems to be taking the form of home burnings, which amount to 1200 or more destroyed buildings. These burning must be investigated to ensure that Myannmar is not practicing ethnic cleansing.
The UN must come in to investigate these fires and stop the targeting of the Rohingya. If the UN doesn't act, there is dire consequences for the Rohingya people, who already fear for their safety.
Sign today to protect the Rohingya people from further attacks on their homes and villages. By signing today you are helping to ensure safety for the Rohingya people.
*Photo Credit: European Commission DG ECHO, CC BY-ND 2.0 Photo Cropped
To Secretary António Guterres,
As a person who believes in the human rights of all I am deeply concerned about the current situation in Burma, where the Burmese government is targeting ethnic Rohingya through a series of home burnings.
The government claims these burnings are the result of the Rohingya burning their own homes, yet thousands of Rohingya are fleeing in terror from the persecution of the Burmese government to nearby Bangladesh.
Recently, a UN official stated to the BBC that the Burmese government wanted ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya from Myannmar.
The UN must investigate the fire burnings to determine if it is the Burmese government attacking the Rohingya and, if so, take action to prevent this from continuing to happen.
[Your Comment Here]
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
