Fears of mass atrocities against Rohingya civilians in Burma were growing after eyewitness accounts emerged of children being beheaded and people burned alive.

The reports followed a week of violence and "inflammatory" government statements that led the UK’s ambassador to the UN to urge Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto head of Burma's government, to “set the right tone”.

The Nobel peace laureate has faced international condemnation for failing to address ongoing rights abuses of the Muslim minority and for online statements by her “information committee” that have been accused of inflaming public sentiment against the wider Rohingya population and aid workers in the country.