Myanmar Forces Launch New Attack on Rohingya, Forcing Mass Exodus

FEATURING TANIA RASHID – Security forces together with armed militiamen launched a fresh wave of attacks on Myanmar’s Rohingya, a Muslim minority, after militants attacked the government on August 25th. The retaliatory actions against the Rohingya included helicopter attacks that decimated whole villages, prompting a mass exodus of refugees who then also faced brutal attacks.

The Rohingya live in Western Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, in the state of Rakhine and have faced years of persecution that many deem genocidal.

The United Nations estimates that more than 120,000 refugees have fled from Myanmar into neighboring Bangladesh since the attacks began. The refugees face a treacherous journey along the way as well as on the border.

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Tania Rashid, correspondent for PBS NewsHour.