JAKARTA (INDONESIA): The
UN's human rights chief says Myanmar's persecution of the
Rohingya Muslim minority has the potential to spark regional conflict.
Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein reiterated while in Indonesia on Monday that acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing may have occurred in the campaign of violence against Rohingya that sparked an exodus of nearly 1 million people to neighboring Bangladesh.
Zeid said, "Myanmar faces a very serious crisis with a potentially severe impact on the security of the region."
He said, "If the
Rohingya crisis were to spark a broader conflict based on religious identities, the ensuing disputes could be a cause for great alarm."
Indonesia's poor human rights record including persecution of LGBT people is expected to be under scrutiny during Zeid's three-day visit.
Rohingya Muslims, who crossed over from Myanmar into Bangladesh. (File photo: AP)
