Rohingya violence ‘could be genocide’

The violence against the Rohingya in Burma “amounts to ethnic cleansing and may also constitute crimes against humanity and even genocide”, a cross-party group of MPs has said.

In a blunt assessment of the British Government’s approach, the Foreign Affairs Committee concluded that its “hesitation and equivocation” over classifying the violence had been “frustratingly confusing”.

The report entitled “Violence in Rakhine State and the UK’s response” criticised the Government’s failure to undertake its own legal analysis.

The report noted: “This was not befitting its leading international role and it should immediately investigate and conduct its own assessment of the situation.”

It described international action as “inadequate”, adding that the UK “bears some responsibility for failing to turn international outrage into tangible action and improvements on the ground”.

The document argued it was wrong for the UK to “continue engagement with Burma with no demonstration of censure” and backed sanctions on senior military figures and businesses if “substantial improvement” was not secured soon.

The committee said it was “disappointed” State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi had “not shown the leadership that was hoped for and needed” and called her position “compromised”.

Picture: Getty. A Rohingya woman feeds her child at a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.