Bangladesh is ordering international humanitarian groups to stop providing aid to ethnic Rohingya refugees who have fled deadly communal violence in neighboring Burma.
Diderik Van Halsema, a spokesperson for Doctor's Without Borders, (MSF) tells VOA his organization is one of three groups that have reportedly been ordered to suspend their services to the Rohingya along the border with Burma.
“At MSF we do confirm that we have received a letter from the Bangladeshi authorities requesting us to stop our activities at our project in Cox's Bazaar district in Bangladesh. We are currently discussing this matter with the Bangladeshi authorities, so obviously we don't want to influence those conversations and we await the outcome of that.”
Another group, Muslim Aid UK, told the French news agency that officials ordered them to stop their so-called “illegal” services in the same area because they were supposedly “encouraging an influx of Rohingya refugees” from Burma.
Sectarian violence between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Burma's western Rakhine state has left dozens dead since June. Rights groups say Burmese security forces have also carried out a campaign of killings and mass arrests against the Rohingya population.
The Rohingya are considered by most Burmese to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and most are denied citizenship there. But they are also denied citizenship in Bangladesh, which argues the group has been living in Burma for centuries.
Despite pressure from the United States and rights groups, Bangladesh has turned away boats carrying scores of Rohingyas who are trying to escape the violence in Burma.
On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch released a report saying that Burmese security forces have committed killings, rape, and mass arrests against Rohingya in the aftermath of the communal violence.
Burma's government, which has a long history of violence against ethnic minorities, has denied that security forces have committed abuses against the Rohingya, saying they exercised “maximum restraint” in dealing with the conflict.
