Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday that they constantly raise the issue of the oppressed Rohingya at the United Nations and directly with Myanmar’s government “to constantly raise awareness that this is an issue people should be addressing.”
May told lawmakers in the parliament that the UK will continue to support Bangladesh for supporting the Rohingya refugees, Ankara-based news agency Anadolu reported.
Taking questions at a committee meeting the prime minister told the parliament to “press this as an issue with the government of Burma,” using an older name for Myanmar.
Upon a question by the head of International Development Committee, Steven Twigg, May said they will also continue to do “what we can to ensure the plight of the Rohingya people is brought to the attention of the world more generally and that people don’t forget… and it is kept up in people’s awareness.”
During the session, Twigg reminded the committee that Myanmar’s embassy in London last month denied a British parliamentary delegation visas for a planned visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar to visit refugee camps for evaluation.
The cross-party parliament committee’s “visit was planned as part of the committee’s inquiry into the Department for International Development’s work in Bangladesh and Burma,” said the committee head who was quoted in the Anadolu. “We are extremely disappointed. It is hard to escape the conclusion that this is a direct consequence of our report on the Rohingya,” Twigg said after the visa denial.
The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.
Since August 25, 2017, some 700,000 refugees, mostly children and women, fled Myanmar when Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority ethnic community, according to the UN.
At least 9,000 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine state from August 25 to September 24, according to Doctors Without Borders.
In a report published on December 12, the global humanitarian organization said that the deaths of 71.7% or 6,700 Rohingya were caused by violence. They include 730 children below the age of 5.
The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings - including of infants and young children - brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by security personnel. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.
