Fears of mass atrocities against Rohingya civilians in Myanmar 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 Myanmar'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.
The government of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has condemned the international community and foreign media for
focusing on the plight of the Rohingya while ignoring the impact of the violence on ethnic-Rakhine Buddhist and other
non-Muslims in the state.