Military action against Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority may amount to crimes against humanity, said Amnesty International.
“The Myanmar military has targeted Rohingya civilians in a callous and systematic campaign of violence,” Rafendi Djamin, Southeast Asia director for Amnesty International, said in a statement on Monday.
“The deplorable actions of the military could be part of a widespread and systematic attack on a civilian population and may amount to crimes against humanity,” she added.
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to meet fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asians Nations (ASEAN) in Yangon amid regional concerns over the situation.
Malaysia called for the ASEAN to co-ordinate humanitarian aid and investigate the allegations.
The Amnesty report accused Burmese forces of murdering civilians, rape and torture.
However, Burmese forces denied the allegations and replied that it is conducting anti-terrorist raids in Rakhine state.
An estimated 27,000 Rohingya from Myanmar have fled to Bangladesh to escape the violence that has massacred at least 86 people and displaced about 30,000 people.
