World MPs slam ethnic cleansing in Myanmar

The global parliamentary community yesterday condemned the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya minority in the Northern Rakhine state of Myanmar.

MPs have called upon the Myanmar government to end immediately the violence and forced displacement of the Rohingya and the blatant violations of their human rights.

In a resolution on the emergency item on its agenda, adopted at the 137th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) yesterday, MPs expressed grave concern over the unprecedented exodus of one million Rohingya to Bangladesh and the humanitarian and potential security consequences for that country and the region, the IPU said in a press release.

"This resolution urges the global parliamentary community to take concrete steps to put an end to the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya from Rakhine state, and to end further human rights violations," explained Saber Chowdhury, the IPU President. "We cannot remain on the sidelines as one million people flee violence and persecution. This crisis is a major threat to regional peace and security."

The resolution strongly recommends the creation of temporary safe zones inside Myanmar under UN supervision to protect all civilians irrespective of religion and ethnicity. MPs have also urged the Parliament of Myanmar to make every effort to stop the violence and to put an end to this tragic situation.