Rakhines protest Myanmar crackdown on Rohingyas

They formed a human chain in Ramu upazila's Choumuhuni bus terminal, attended by the local MP and leaders of ruling Awami League affiliates. Speaking at a rally, presided over Master Monghlapro Rakhine, Cox's Bazar-3 MP Shaimum Sarwar Kamal urged everyone to stand by the Rohingyas. “Violence against Rohingyas should be stopped for humanitarian reasons as well as ensuring peace and communal harmony,” he said. Myanmar troops launched anti-insurgency operations in the restive Rakhine state after coordinated attacks on border outposts in Myanmar's border with Bangladesh killed nine policemen on October 9. Rohingya activists say more than 100 people have been killed and over 30,000 people have been displaced since the crackdown began. Myanmar does not recognise the minority Rohingya, who number about a million, as citizens, effectively forcing them to live in apartheid-like condition. Naypyidaw denies discriminating against the Rohingya – often described as the most persecuted community in the world. Rights activists and Rohingyas, who managed to flee to Bangladesh, have accused the army of burning down villages, raping women, torturing and killing men and children. The army denies the allegations. The latest violence is the most serious since the 2012 communal clashes. Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, whose party is in office, has drawn widespread criticism for her silence on the latest crackdown.