Indian police say over 200 people killed in ‘unprovoked attack’ by Rohingya

By SHARIFF GONZALEZThe Indian government has confirmed the death toll from an attack on a Rohingya refugee camp in the northeastern state of Assam, the latest in a wave of violent attacks against Rohingya.

A group of men from Myanmar and Bangladesh allegedly attacked a refugee camp at Tawang, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Assams capital, New Delhi, on Friday.

The attackers also looted and burnt homes and destroyed property, the state’s Home Ministry said.

Police spokesman Sanjay Sharma told AFP news agency the number of people injured in the attack was “not too many”.

“The situation is tense and there are reports of a major clash between Rohingya and Muslims,” he said.

“We have received information that some Rohingya are being chased away from the camp by unknown attackers and that a mob of armed people are attacking them.”

“The incident was triggered by a verbal argument between the two groups.

Police are trying to identify those involved,” he added.

The government had said it was working to verify the report.

The Myanmar government, which has a history of attacks on Rohingya and a history-making Rohingya exodus from Myanmar, denied the attack and denied any responsibility for the violence.

Rohingya migrants and refugees from Myanmar have been locked in a violent standoff with the Myanmar army for years in the eastern state of Rakhine.

A month ago, Assam police said Rohingya and Buddhist groups attacked a Rohingya settlement near the border with Bangladesh.

More than 200 people have been killed in the violence, which the state government blames on Rohingya insurgents.

The latest attacks have been triggered by the Rohingya’s refusal to convert to Buddhism and by their claims of persecution by Buddhist Myanmar.

The conflict erupted when the military, backed by Myanmar, overran a Rohingya village near the Bangladesh border, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.

Roheda Muslims are overwhelmingly Muslim in Myanmar, with the majority Buddhist.