WorldMozaic - Crisis, Myanmar Military Commander Blame Rohingya
Commander of the Armed Forces of Myanmar blamed the Rohingyas for the crisis that caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee to Bangladesh.
General Min Aung Hlaing said Rohingyas 'had never been an ethnic group' and accused 'extremists' of trying to rule the state of Rakhine.
On his Facebook page, Sunday (17/09/2017), Min Aung Hlaing invites Myanmar citizens and media to unite against the Rohingya 'problem'.
He said military operations began after 93 clashes with 'Bengali extremists' - referring to the Arakan Liberation Army (ARSA) - which started Aug. 25.
The ARSA violence, he said, was an organized effort to build power base in Rakhine state.
"They ask to be recognized as Rohingyas, who have never been an ethnic group in Myanmar.The issue of (Bengali) is a national problem and we must unite to uphold the truth," General Min Aung Hlaing said in his upload.
The Myanmar military is accused of targeting civilians in attacks that have led the Rohingyas flee to neighboring countries.
Myanmar denied the allegations, saying it was a response to attacks done by the armed militia groups.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that Aung San Suu Kyi had the last chance to stop Myanmar's military offensive against Rohingyas.
"If she does not reverse the current situation, then I think the tragedy will be very horrible, and unfortunately I can not see how this can be solved in the future," Guterres said.
The ARSA militia group attacked the Myanmar police station in northern Rakhine on August 25, killing 12 security personnel.
The action was repelled by the Myanmar military by burning villages and attacking civilians to get out of its territory.
The United Nations has warned that attacks against Rohingyans, who are mostly Muslim - who are a minority in a country with 90 percent of the Buddhist population - can be considered ethnic cleansing.
Commander of the Armed Forces of Myanmar blamed the Rohingyas for the crisis that caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee to Bangladesh.
General Min Aung Hlaing said Rohingyas 'had never been an ethnic group' and accused 'extremists' of trying to rule the state of Rakhine.
On his Facebook page, Sunday (17/09/2017), Min Aung Hlaing invites Myanmar citizens and media to unite against the Rohingya 'problem'.
He said military operations began after 93 clashes with 'Bengali extremists' - referring to the Arakan Liberation Army (ARSA) - which started Aug. 25.
The ARSA violence, he said, was an organized effort to build power base in Rakhine state.
"They ask to be recognized as Rohingyas, who have never been an ethnic group in Myanmar.The issue of (Bengali) is a national problem and we must unite to uphold the truth," General Min Aung Hlaing said in his upload.
The Myanmar military is accused of targeting civilians in attacks that have led the Rohingyas flee to neighboring countries.
Myanmar denied the allegations, saying it was a response to attacks done by the armed militia groups.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that Aung San Suu Kyi had the last chance to stop Myanmar's military offensive against Rohingyas.
"If she does not reverse the current situation, then I think the tragedy will be very horrible, and unfortunately I can not see how this can be solved in the future," Guterres said.
The ARSA militia group attacked the Myanmar police station in northern Rakhine on August 25, killing 12 security personnel.
The action was repelled by the Myanmar military by burning villages and attacking civilians to get out of its territory.
The United Nations has warned that attacks against Rohingyans, who are mostly Muslim - who are a minority in a country with 90 percent of the Buddhist population - can be considered ethnic cleansing.