KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia –  It’s a human crisis. Burma (Myanmar), according to reports, continues to ignore the rights of its Rohingya Minorities. In fact, reports say that the army is actually pushing them into Bangladesh! Malaysia says it will summon the Burmese ambassador to draw attention to the issue.

The conflict in Rakhine province of Burma continued to rock lives of Rohingya Muslim community as thousands were forced to flee to Bangladesh. At least 86 were reported dead, while over 30,000 were displaced in the violence linked to communal clashes in the region.

On Friday (Nov 25), hundreds of Rohingya Muslims marched in Kuala Lumpur condemning the violence against the community and criticised Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi for her inaction. They also requested for humanitarian aid to be provided in the region and urged the military to seize all attackers.

Responding to the protests against the violent crackdown across Southeast Asia, the Malaysian government on Friday said it would summon Myanmar’s ambassador over the issue. The Malaysian foreign ministry asked all parties involved in the issue to refrain from taking any action as it could escalate further violence.

The ministry in a statement said, “Malaysia also calls on the government of Myanmar to take all the necessary actions to address the alleged ethnic cleansing in the northern Rakhine State. The ministry will summon the ambassador of Myanmar to convey the government of Malaysia’s concern over this issue.”

Referring to reports of killing, torture, rapes and burnings of houses, Rohingya community leader Muhammed Noor said, “The Myanmar government says the claims are all fabricated but they are not fabricated. This movement has to continue, to pressure the government to stop the killing.”

Amnesty International, in a statement said that Myanmar’s security forces mounted reprisal attacks in response to an October 9 assault that killed nine border officers.

Since then, Myanmar’s security forces, led by the military, started firing at villagers from helicopters and set hundreds of homes on fire. They also carried out arbitrary arrests and raped women and girls in the area, according to the group.

Activists have demanded that the Bangladesh-Myanmar border be opened for Rohingya people so they could escape the villages.

Bangladeshi foreign minister, Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali however refused to act on the demand. He said Bangladesh would allow some of the Rohingya Muslims on humanitarian grounds but it wouldn’t open the border with Myanmar.

Amnesty International slammed the unwillingness of Myanmar and Bangladesh to aid and accept the Rohingya people.

In a statement, Champa Patel, its South Asia director said, “The Rohingya are being squeezed by the callous actions of both the Myanmar and Bangladesh authorities. Fleeing collective punishment in Myanmar, they are being pushed back by the Bangladeshi authorities. Trapped between these cruel fates, their desperate need for food, water and medical care is not being addressed.”

The northwestern state of Myanmar has been subjected to repeated clashes in the past with 2012 being the most violent year, when hundreds of people lost their lives in the region.

Adding more pain to the lives of those estimated one million, the government of Myanmar doesn’t even officially recognise the community, terming them as illegal Bengali immigrants.

When Suu Kyi ascended to power last year, she promised national reconciliation but has failed to deliver on the issue so far.

While the Malaysian government has denied claims of violence, one of victims identified as 20-year-old Habiba and her 18-year-old sister, who along with their brother took refuge with a Rohingya refugee family near Bangladesh-Myanmar border, recalled their brutal gang-rape by Myanmar soldiers.

“They tied both of us to the bed and raped us one by one. They torched most of the houses, killed numerous people including our father and raped many young girls,” Habiba said describing the incident.

“One of the soldiers told us before leaving that they will kill us if they see us around the next time they come here. Then they torched our house,” she added.

Hashim Ullah, Habiba’s older brother said, “We’re almost starving here. But at least no one is coming here to kill or torture.”

Another victim of the violence, Begum, who is currently at the Kutupalong camp in southern Bangladesh was quoted as saying, “When they see pretty ladies, they ask for water, then they get inside the house and rape them.”

She said she left home with other refugees in the middle of the night as their village was set on fire. The residents of the area said they had travelled through villages to evade the soldiers and crossed Naf river to enter Bangladesh.

“It took me four days. When our village was set on fire, we moved to another village, and continued to change our position. This way we came to the riverside,” Begum said.

“When we started our journey, there were six of us. We lost three members of our family,” Begum’s sister-in-law Nassima Khatun said referring to the difficult journey they endured travelling to Kutupalong camp.

The United Nations meanwhile has accused Myanmar of “ethnic cleansing” referring to the widespread violence in the region.

John McKissick, a UN refugee agency official claimed the Rohingya as “the most oppressed people in the world” and added, “It seems to be the aim of the Myanmar military to ethnically cleanse this population.”

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