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               US to Push Myanmar on Better Treatment of Rohingya

   by VOA News

   A senior U.S. diplomatic official is headed to Myanmar, where he will
   call for improved treatment of the country's Rohingya minority, a day
   after Washington signaled it is willing to help provide refuge for the
   thousands of members of the ethnic group stranded at sea.

   U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he will speak to the
   leaders of Myanmar Thursday "about its own responsibilities to improve
   conditions in Rakhine state so that people don't feel that their only
   choice is to put their lives at risk by leaving and taking to sea."

   Around 3,000 refugees and migrants, mostly Rohingya from Myanmar and
   Bangladesh, have been rescued or swam ashore in Southeast Asian
   countries over the past 10 days after being abandoned at sea by people
   smugglers. Thousands more are thought to be adrift, with dwindling
   supplies.

   After initially refusing to help the so-called boat people, Indonesia
   and Malaysia on Wednesday agreed to provide humanitarian aid and
   temporary shelter to the estimated 7,000 stranded migrants, provided
   they are resettled within one year with the assistance of the
   international community.

   Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak on Friday also ordered the Royal
   Malaysian Navy and Maritime Enforcement Agency to "conduct search and
   rescue efforts for Rohingya boats," according to a Facebook post, which
   stressed "We have to prevent the loss of life."

   Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman and Indonesian Foreign Minister
   Retno Marsudi will discuss the meeting Thursday with Myanmar officials
   in Myanmar's capital, Naypyidaw. A broader regional summit is set to be
   held next Friday.

   The U.S. State Department welcomed the governments' decision to "uphold
   their responsibilities under international law," according to
   spokeswoman Marie Harf. She also said Washington will help the U.N. set
   up protection centers and consider requests to resettle some of the
   refugees.

   "The U.S. stands ready to help the countries of the region bear the
   burden and save lives today. We have a common obligation to answer the
   call of these migrants who have risked their lives at sea," Harf said
   Wednesday at a regular briefing in Washington.

   The migrant crisis intensified earlier this month when Thailand
   disrupted longstanding human trafficking networks that targeted
   Rohingya. The people smugglers fled, leaving thousands of boat people
   adrift at sea.

   The governments of Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand were strongly
   criticized for initially pushing back the boats of refugees. The
   governments were fearful their shores would be flooded with
   impoverished migrants if the boat people were allowed to disembark.

   Myanmar also has received international criticism for its role in the
   crisis. The predominantly Buddhist country denies citizenship and many
   other basic human rights to the mainly Muslim Rohingya group.

   The stateless group's fate has worsened since an outbreak of religious
   violence in 2013, which left over 200 Rohingya dead. Since then, tens
   of thousands of Rohingya have been forced to live in filthy,
   overcrowded, prison-like camps in western Rakhine state.

   Myanmar, also known as Burma, refrains from even referring to members
   of the group as Rohingya. Instead, it insists on calling them
   "Bengalis," and views them as illegal immigrants from neighboring
   Bangladesh.

   The U.N. has repeatedly called for Myanmar to provide full citizenship
   and other rights to the Rohingya. Its statement on Tuesday called for
   efforts to be redoubled to "address 'push factors' and the root causes
   of refugee and migrant flows, including discrimination, deprivation,
   persecution and violations of human rights."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-to-push-myanmar-on-better-treatmen
   t-of-rohingya/2780600.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-to-push-myanmar-on-better-treatment-of-rohingya/2780600.html