UN asks Myanmar to give citizenship to Rohingya Muslims

Rohingya Muslims.

Photo: AFP

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has asked that Myanmar give citizenship to the Muslim Rohingya people after months of deadly sectarian violence in the western state of Rakhine.

The Rohingya’s statelessness is at the heart of two major outbreaks of fighting between the Buddhist and Muslim communities that has left 180 people dead and forced 110,000 Rohingya into makeshift camps.

Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, told reporters, that a change in the law is required, "This should include a review of the citizenship law to ensure that Rohingya have equal access to citizenship," she said.

The Rohingya have no legal status and are regarded by most Burmese as immigrants from neighbor Bangladesh.

Bangladesh doesn’t recognize them either, leaving them effectively stateless.

Voice of Russia, RT

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