Won’t take back those who fled: govt.

Myanmar’s Army chief has urged the country to unite over the “issue” of the Rohingya, a Muslim group he says has no roots in the country, and which his troops are accused of systematically purging.

The military says its “clearance operations” in northern Rakhine State are aimed at flushing out Rohingya militants who attacked police posts on August 25. But the violence has engulfed the border region and triggered an exodus of more than 4,00,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh.

UN leaders have described the campaign as having all the hallmarks of “ethnic cleansing” of the Rohingya, a stateless group that has endured years of persecution and repression.

General Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s Army chief, said on his Facebook page on Saturday that Rohingya was never an “ethnic group” in Myanmar. “(The) Bengali issue is a national cause and we need to be united in establishing the truth,” the post read. Many in Myanmar insist on referring to the Rohingya as “Bengalis”.

On Sunday, Myanmar’s government hinted that it may not take back Rohingya who fled across the border, accusing those refugees of having links to the militants.

“Those who fled the villages made their way to the other country for fear of being arrested as they got involved in the violent attacks. Legal protection will be given to the villages whose residents did not flee,” the government's Information Committee statement said.