More from Muslim world respond to Rohingya crisis

by Leila Thabti and Gulsen Topcu

KUWAIT / TEHRAN

Parliament members from Kuwait and Iran on Wednesday broke their silence about the latest Rohingya crisis.

During a press conference held in the Kuwaiti capital, the parliament members called on Arab and Islamic countries to take a stance against the Myanmar government.

The deputies stressed that Arab, Islamic and international parliaments that want the Bangladesh border opened to Rohingya Muslims should condemn violations in Myanmar and they should pressure governments to stop these "massacres".

During the conference, parliament member Abdullah Fahad al-Enezi called on the Kuwaiti government to cut relations with Myanmar and open an airlift to transport aid to the Rohingya Muslims.

In a statement published by the official Islamic Republic News Agency, Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani condemned the "massacres" committed against Myanmar Muslims, describing the situation as "a great humanitarian tragedy in our time" and called for urgent humanitarian assistance.

Larijani called for the establishment of an international committee on this issue and the dispatch of urgent humanitarian aid.

"The painful events, the killings, the repression and the forced displacement of tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims deeply hurt the heart of every free human being," he said.

Blaming the Myanmar government, he added, "What is worse is the silence of human rights advocates, some countries, and international organizations that watch these tragic events with indifference."

According to the UN, 123,600 Rohingya have escaped to Bangladesh and tens of thousands more were internally displaced by the latest violence.

Tensions have been simmering in Rakhine between its Buddhist and Muslim populations since communal violence broke out in 2012.

In a security crackdown launched last October in the state’s northern Maungdaw district, the UN documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including infants and young children -- brutal beatings and disappearances.

The report found evidence of human rights violations by security forces that indicated crimes against humanity.

Rohingya representatives have said that around 400 people were killed in the crackdown.

In recent weeks, the government has boosted its military presence in Maungdaw, and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) claimed responsibility for attacks in which the government said dozens were killed.

The ARSA said the attacks were in response to raids, killings and looting by soldiers.