Myanmar Accused of Apartheid: Amnesty International

Images: Whole villages have been burned by the Myanmar military as the Rohingya people flee to Bangladesh. (Amnesty International). 

Amnesty International has accused Myanmar of the international crime of Apartheid in its treatment of the Rohingya people.

The accusation comes after a two year investigation by the international rights organisation. It is the first time Amnesty has ever accused a regime of this particular crime.

Amnesty says systematic segregation and lack of equal access to basic services such as education and health care have been prevalent in the Rakhine State of Myanmar since the 1960s.

The report comes after a hostile campaign against the Rohingyan population by the Myanmar military. More than 600,000 refugees have streamed across the border into emergency refugee camps in Bangladesh. World Vision’s Tim Costello has told Open House these camps are like “the gates of hell”.

Open House spoke to Amnesty International Australia Crisis Campaigner Diana Sayed about the report.