Mount pressure to halt Myanmar military crackdown: APRRN

The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) has urged the international community to apply all possible measures to mount pressure on Myanmar to halt military operations for protecting civilians and ensure unfettered humanitarian access to Rakhine State.

In a statement APRRN Programme Coordinator Evan Jones today demanded implementation of all recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission led by Kofi Annan.

"Nations cannot stand aside and watch hundreds of thousands of people being forcibly displaced, thousands indiscriminately killed, in a government-sponsored operation amounting to ethnic cleansing," said the Bangkok-based rights body.

He said, "We urge other neighbouring countries to Myanmar to provide safe passage and protection to refugees who have fled due to violence and well-founded fear of persecution."

He also urged Bangladesh government to continue its cooperation and collaboration with international organisations, including by granting UNHCR the ability to exercise its full mandate of protection to all Rohingya refugees inside the country.