The Myanmar military has consistently used the pretext of the August 25 uprising by ARSA for their crackdown on the Rohingya, which amounts to nothing less than ethnic cleansing. However, according to accounts shared by many Rohingya refugees now in Bangladesh, attacks by Myanmar authorities started well before the August 25 uprising, contradicting Myanmar government’s official narrative. That’s not terrorism — that’s a reaction to being terrorised for years. Why else would a ragtag band of rebels with nothing but knives and spears attack an armed and well-trained police force? In fact, Myanmar’s top officials have made no secret of their hatred for the “non-native” Rohingya, and there is simply no excuse left for the international community’s failure to act decisively to end the violence.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 16, 2017 13:41 UTC