In Myanmar, a rising exodus but no trafficking arrests

[Jonathan Fairfield]

In Myanmar, a rising exodus but no trafficking arrests

NYAUNG CHAUNG, MYANMAR | BY AUBREY BELFORD

The bamboo-and-thatch village of Nyaung Chaung in Myanmar's Rakhine State is typical of the places from which Rohingya Muslims flee.

The fields don't provide a living, locals say. Jobs are scarce. Daily life is a series of humiliations from Myanmar's government, which officially considers them intruders and denies them citizenship.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled Rakhine since the start of the year, joining perilous journeys on the boats of human traffickers through the Bay of Bengal.

But local officials say no one has been arrested for trafficking in the Myanmar state that supplies the vast majority of victims to this brutal trade.

"There have been no trafficking cases in Rakhine State so far (this year).

There is a police unit to track down human traffickers, so it's very rare in this area," Hla Thein, the Rakhine State Attorney General, told Reuters.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/09/us-asia-migrants-myanmar-idUSKCN0PJ15A20150709

-- Reuters 2015-07-10