Hanoi (VNA) – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the Myanmargovernment to end military operations against Rohingya rebels in Rakhine stateduring the first public meeting on the country held by the UN Security Councilin more than eight years.

Conflict inRakhine broke out on August 25, when Rohingya Muslim militants launched attackson police posts in the state, triggering state-run military operations.
                                                             
The UN estimated that about 480,000 Rohingya people had fled into Bangladeshdue to violence. Meanwhile, nearly 800,000 people are taking shelter along theborder.

At the meeting,UN Secretary-General Guterres told the council that the situation had“spiralled into the world’s fastest-developing refugee emergency, ahumanitarian and human rights nightmare” and referred to the government’ssecurity operations as “ethnic cleansing”.

Guterres warned that the failure to address this violencecould result in a spillover into central Rakhine, where an additional 250,000Muslims could face displacement.

However, Myanmar National Security Advisor U Thaung Tundenied the accusation, claiming that the Myanmar government would do anythingto stop the violence.

He conveyed the Myanmar government’s invitation to the UN Secretary-General and Under-Secretary-Generalto visit the country.

The official saiddiplomats in Yangon accompanied by media will make a field trip to Rakhinestate on October 2 to witness the real situation.-VNA