UN rights chief raises alarm about Myanmar’s Rohingya civilians trapped by fighting

Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — The U.N.’s human rights chief has joined a chorus of concern for members of Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority after many were reported killed in recent fighting between the military government and the Arakan Army, an armed ethnic rebel group. The office of U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Friday that he was profoundly concerned over the sharply deteriorating situation in Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine State where hundreds of civilians have reportedly been killed while trying to flee the fighting. The statement said both the military and the Arakan Army have committed serious human rights violations and abuses against the Rohingya, including extrajudicial killings, some involving beheadings and indiscriminate bombardments of towns and villages.