US condemns violence against Muslims in Burma

The US has condemned the attacks by Buddhist mobs in Burma against the minority Muslim Rohingya population earlier in the week. Up to sixty people including women and children were reportedly killed, but numbers are difficult to verify due to strict government security that does not allow access to journalists. "We're saddened to hear reports that several people have been killed, many injured, at least one missing and hundreds of civilians displaced in violence that included looting and destructions of homes and property," said State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki on Friday. "We're particularly disturbed by reports that security forces may have used excessive force in perpetuating some of the violence," she added. "We strongly condemn such acts of violence which negatively impact all inhabitants, and note that security forces have a particular responsibility to exercise restraint and minimize violence." The state government in Rakhine, along the border with Bangladesh, denied that there had been any deaths. Psaki said the U.S. is pushing for a more inclusive country. "We of course urge the Burmese government to pursue durable solutions, including a path to citizenship that incorporates members of the Rohingya minority and ensuring a secure environment for displaced people to return to their homes." "We are not giving up on the future of Burma," she noted. The religious violence across Burma has killed at least 237 people - most of them Rohingya Muslims - since June 2012. Some 140,000 others have been displaced.