Iran calls for int’l help to ease plight of Muslim Myanmarese

Rohingya Muslims, who tried to flee Myanmar's religious violence, are seen after being intercepted as they tried to enter Bangladesh across the river Naf, July 18, 2012.

Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:49AM GMT

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They (the Muslim Myanmarese) must have civil rights, therefore the Islamic Republic immediately adopted a stance and called on the Myanmar government to respect the rights of a number of its people who are Muslim.”
Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has called on
Muslim countries to take measures to end the plight of the Muslim minority in Myanmar.

“They (the Muslim Myanmarese) must have civil rights, therefore the Islamic Republic immediately adopted a stance and called on the Myanmar government to respect the rights of a number of its people who are Muslim,” Mehmanparast said.

The Iranian official made the remarks during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Mehmanparast said other countries should address the situation of the Muslims in Myanmar, adding that the Islamic community must support Muslim states.

Reports say 650 Rohingya Muslims were killed as of June 28 during clashes in the western region of Rakhine. This is while 1,200 others are missing and 80,000 more have been displaced.

The UN says decades of discrimination have left the Rohingyas stateless, with Myanmar implementing restrictions on their movement and withholding land rights, education and public services.

They are deprived of basic rights including education and employment and are subject to forced labor, extortion and other coercive measures.

The government of Myanmar refuses to recognize Rohingyas, who it claims are not natives, and classifies them as illegal migrants, although they have lived in the country for generations.