Iran's Foreign Ministry urges end to violence in Myanmar

Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar tried to cross the Naf River into Bangladesh to escape sectarian violence. (File Photo)

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has expressed deep concern over the massacre of Muslims in Myanmar, urging an end to violence in the southeastern Asian country.

“It is expected that the Myanmar government will prepare the ground for solidarity, national unity and [asserting the] rights of Muslims in the country and that it will avert violence and a human catastrophe in this regard,” Mehmanparast said on Monday.
He called for “swift and serious” measures by the Myanmar government, the international community and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to clarify the aspects of this incident and put an end to the violence.

The Iranian spokesperson emphasized that respect for the rights of the followers of different religions and preparing the ground for religious and ethnic minorities to enjoy their civil rights are principles accepted by all schools of thoughts.

According to recent reports, Muslims in Myanmar are in a disaster situation. Since June, hundreds of members of the nearly-one-million-strong Rohingya Muslim minority have been killed and tens of thousands of others among them have been displaced in the west of the country due to a wave of communal violence.

On June 3, 10 Rohingya Muslims were killed when a mob of an ethnic group, known as the Rakhines, who are mostly Buddhist, attacked a passenger bus in the western Myanmar Rakhine state that borders Bangladesh.

According to a group of UK-based NGOs, from June 10 to 28, 650 Rohingya Muslims were killed, 1,200 went missing, andmore than 80,000 others were displaced as a result of rioting, arson, and a cycle of revenge attacks in the western state.

Over the past two years, waves of ethnic Muslims have attempted to flee by boats in the face of systematic oppression by the Myanmar government.

The government of Myanmar refuses to recognize them. They say the Rohingyas are not native and classify them as illegal migrants, although they have lived in Myanmar for generations.

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