New Straits Times

‘China endorses Myanmar’s crackdown on Rohingya’

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YANGON: China endorses Myanmar’s offensive against Rohingya Muslim insurgents, Myanmar state media said yesterday.

The Myanmar military offensive in Rakhine state was triggered by a series of guerrilla attacks on Aug 25 on security posts and an army camp in which about a dozen people were killed.

“The stance of China regarding the terrorist attacks in Rakhine is clear — it is just an internal affair,” the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper yesterday quoted China’s ambassador, Hong Liang, as telling top government officials.

“The counter-attacks of Myanmar security forces against extremist terrorists and the government’s undertakin­gs to provide assistance to the people are strongly welcomed.”

China competes with the United States for influence in Myanmar, which in 2011 began emerging from nearly 50 years of strict military rule and diplomatic and economic isolation. Earlier this week, the Trump administra­tion called for protection of civilians.

The Myanmar government said it was targeting “terrorists”, while refugees said the offensive aimed to push Rohingya out of Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Aid agencies had to step up operations “massively” to help the refugees, a UN official said, adding that an earlier UN target of US$77 million (RM323.7 million) would not be enough to deal with the crisis.

There are also fears of a humanitari­an crisis on the Myanmar side of the border. The government accused some aid groups of helping insurgents and severely restricted access. Reuters

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