Seoul, Feb 1 (IANS) The UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar on Thursday repeated allegations that the killings of Rohingyas by the Myanmar Army bear “the hallmarks of a genocide”.
At a press briefing in Seoul where she is based, Yanghee Lee described her visit to the refugee camps in Bangladesh and other areas in the region to discuss the crisis, Efe news reported.
At least 688,000 Rohingyas have fled Rakhine state to neighbouring Bangladesh since the Myanmar military launched an offensive in response to rebel attacks on government outposts on August 25 last year.
Lee said that Myanmar’s actions were “amounting to crimes against humanity.” “These are part of the hallmarks of a genocide,” she said.
The Myanmar Army has been accused of committing human rights abuses by NGOs and refugees, while the UN said there were signs of “ethnic cleansing”.