The letter at left (click for a bigger copy) was distributed among the consular community of Hong Kong and Macau. It was issued from the Burmese consulate there, by a Burmese diplomat named Ye Myint Aung.
It describes a Muslim ethnic minority in western Burma, a people called Rohingyas, as “dark brown” and as “ugly as ogres.”
And this is from a diplomat.
Burma's military government denies the Rohingyas are Burmese, claiming they are migrant Bangladeshis instead. According to the Bangkok Post, "Rights groups say the Rohingya are stateless and face religious and ethnic persecution from the Burmese military regime, forcing thousands to take to rickety boats each year in a bid to escape poverty and oppression."
The Post further notes, "Thailand's military was accused in January of towing hundreds of Rohingya out to sea in poorly equipped boats with scant food and water after they tried to flee Burma, a charge Thailand has 'categorically denied'."
See photos from Burma in the Burma Gallery on EarthPhotos.com.
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