Rohingya crisis: UN sees 'ethnic cleansing' in Myanmar

The security operation targeting Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar "seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing", the UN human rights chief says.

Zeid Raad Al Hussein urged Myanmar to end the "cruel military operation" in Rakhine state.

More than 300,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since violence erupted there late last month.

The military says it is responding to attacks by Rohingya militants and denies it is targeting civilians.

The violence began on 25 August when the Rohingya militants attacked police posts in northern Rakhine, killing 12 security personnel.

Rohingyas who have fled Myanmar since then say the military responded with a brutal campaign, burning villages and attacking civilians in a bid to drive them out.

The Rohingya, a stateless mostly Muslim minority in Buddhist-majority Rakhine, have long experienced persecution in Myanmar, which says they are illegal immigrants.

Mr Zeid, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the current operation in Rakhine was "clearly disproportionate".

He noted that the situation could not be fully assessed because Myanmar had refused access to human rights investigators, but said the UN had received "multiple reports and satellite imagery of security forces and local militia burning Rohingya villages, and consistent accounts of extrajudicial killings, including shooting fleeing civilians".

"I call on the government to end its current cruel military operation, with accountability for all violations that have occurred and to reverse the pattern of severe and widespread discrimination against the Rohingya population," he said.

Latest reports put the number of those who have fled to Bangladesh at 313,000. Aid agencies say they are in desperate need of food, shelter and medical aid, and that current resources are inadequate.

Bangladesh is already host to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled previous outbreaks of violence in Rakhine. Existing refugee camps are full and the new arrivals are sleeping rough in whatever space they can find, reports say.The authorities have, however, started to register the new arrivals. Previously only those in two official camps were being documented, but government teams are now collecting fingerprints and details from all newcomers, including those in makeshift shelters.

Analysts say that, until now, the government has refused to register those outside camps for fear of legitimising them. But the current move may help the government as it engages in a diplomatic battle about the Rohingyas' future, the BBC's Sanjoy Majumder reports.

On Sunday, the Rohingya militant group behind the 25 August attacks declared a one-month unilateral ceasefire to allow aid agencies in, but the Myanmar government rejected it, saying it would not negotiate with "terrorists".

It maintains that it is the militants who are burning Rohingya villages and targeting civilians, but a BBC correspondent on an official visit to Rakhine came across a Muslim village apparently burned by Rakhine Buddhists, contradicting the official narrative.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader, is facing mounting criticism for failing to protect the Rohingya, and on Monday exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama added his voice, urging her "to reach out to all sections of society to try to restore friendly relations".

But the Rohingya are extremely unpopular inside Myanmar. On Sunday, police fired rubber bullets to break up a mob attacking the home of a Muslim butcher in Magway region in central Myanmar. One protester was quoted by AFP news agency saying it was a response to events in Rakhine.

Response

Audience:

BBC's primary audience comes from all around the world and their articles are obviously aimed to inform as much of the world of an issue as possible. For that reason it is difficult to pin down a specific audience. However if I had to pick one (and this is a little general) I would say that the article is aimed primarily at working class Europe. I think that because there have been tensions in Europe over religion for hundreds of years especially some of the divided between Muslims and other religions and I think that the article is trying to capitalize on this issue which greatly effects Europe's working class.

Author Bias:

The article (as too many BBC articles do) shares no information about who it's author is. However BBC is well known, when reporting on international news, to use local correspondence so it is possible that this article was written by one such who lived in Burma. 

Publisher Bias:

BBC is an English-based news organization who has captured a world wide audience. Their bias has always been middle-left. This article in particular sheds that stance over and over again. In supports more of a liberal agenda alongside the idea of cultural mixing, the idea that having differences inside of society only makes us stronger.

Reader Bias:

Again, people from all around the world read BBC, but mostly for international news. This in part means that a higher percentage of their American and English audience would associate more with the left side of politics. The audience, much like the article is tilted against the government and in support of the refugees.

Purpose:

To spread awareness on the injustices currently taking place in Burma and show how religious differences have morphed into discrimination. The article also slams the Myanmar government for their perceived unwillingness to help.

Opinion:

While I do personally think that the article gets a lot right, it also falls short in a couple of areas as well. While I do agree that Myanmar has an obligation to help there is also good reason for the government to be wary. Myanmar recently had there first democratic election, coming out of a period of military rule. If the Myanmar Prime Minister were to slide back and go against public opinion then the country could get very upset. We've seen how upset people get when politicians do not keep their promises imagine how bad it could be in an unstable democracy formerly held under military rule.

Works Cited 

“Rohingya Crisis: UN Sees 'Ethnic Cleansing' in Myanmar.” BBC News, BBC, 11 Sept. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41224108.