News / Interviews

Rohingya driven out of land sought by mining firms: Journalist

Thursday, 16 November 2017 4:08 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 16 November 2017 4:12 PM ]

In this photograph taken on November 12, 2017, a woman holds the hand of a child as they stand near tents at a makeshift camp in the Rakhine state in Myanmar, while waiting to find a way to cross over into Bangladesh. (Photo by AFP)

Myanmar's ongoing ethnic-cleansing in the Rakhine state is aimed at driving Rohingya Muslims out of the territories which are sought by mining companies, says a journalist who has visited the region.

“One of the main reasons the Rohingyas are being ethnically cleansed is because they are on land that certain mining companies want. So, it is a matter of getting rid of these people so they can do more business," Johnny Miller told Press TV on Thursday.

What is going on right now in Myanmar is “a policy of systematic ethnic cleansing” where the Muslim minority is being terrorized and forced out of their homeland, the journalist said.

Miller touched on international inaction in the face of the ongoing atrocities, citing China, India, the US, the United Nations and the European Union which are turning a blind eye to the plight of the Rohingya Muslims.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) says security forces in Myanmar have been committing widespread gang-rape against Rohingya Muslim women and girls during the past three months.