Myanmar crisis: Bangladesh PM in Rohingya plea

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have crossed the border to Bangladesh

Bangladesh's prime minister has urged Myanmar to take back hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in Rakhine state. 

Speaking as she visited a refugee camp, Sheikh Hasina urged Myanmar to view the situation with humanity, saying innocent people were suffering.

Some 370,000 Rohingya have crossed the border since violence began last month. Myanmar's military says it is fighting Rohingya militants and denies it is targeting civilians.


But many of those who have fled say troops responded to attacks by Rohingya militants on 25 August with a brutal campaign of violence and village burnings aimed at driving them out.

The BBC has spoken to Rohingyas maimed by landmines as they fled Myanmar. Bangladeshi sources say Myanmar's army recently planted new mines - an allegation denied by Myanmar officials.

The Rohingya, a stateless mostly Muslim minority in Buddhist-majority Rakhine, have long experienced persecution in Myanmar, which says they are illegal immigrants.

• Seeing through the official story
• Tales of horror from those who fled
• Rakhine: What sparked latest violence?

Bangladesh is already home to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled previous outbreaks of violence in Myanmar.

Its two official refugee camps are full and aid agencies say the new arrivals desperately need food, shelter and medical help.

'These people... are suffering'

Sheikh Hasina's comments came as she visited the Kutupalong camp, one of the official camps.
"My personal message is very clear, that they should consider this situation with the eyes of humanity," she told the BBC.