Forum-Asia condemns persecution of Rohingyas.

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a Bangkok-based regional human rights organisation, has condemned the ongoing ethnic violence targeting the Rohingya people in Rakhine State of Myanmar, reports UNB.

The forum, comprising 47 member organisations from 16 countries across Asia, also strongly urged the Myanmar government to immediately put an end to the violence and allow the access of humanitarian agencies to the area.

The ethnic violence claimed lives of nearly 200 people since June this year and also created thousands of internally-displaced persons (IDPs), and has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, it said. FORUM-ASIA's member organisations who attended the regional NGO's 7th General Assembly, held on 20-21 November 2012 in Bangkok, made the call following discussions on the issue during its meeting, according to message received here on Saturday.

The regional human rights body also called on the government of Myanmar to repeal the 1982 Citizenship Law which has rendered the Rohingyas stateless. FORUM-ASIA condemned the continued ethnic violence in Rakhine State, in particular the persecution of Rohingyas. "We condemn the Burmese government for its failure to prevent the escalation of repeated violence and gross human rights violations in Rakhine State, which have seen two major waves of mass violence since June this year."

"We also urgently raise...