US President Barack Obama said Myanmar must “put an end to discrimination” of Rohingya Muslims in the country if it is to succeed on is transition to democracy.
Addressing a group of young Asians at the White House Mr Obama was asked what the country needed to do to succeed, as it begins to shift from decades of military rule.
"I think one of the most important things is to put an end to discrimination against people because of what they look like or what their faith is,” said Mr Obama. “And the Rohingya have been discriminated against. And that’s part of the reason they’re fleeing."
Asked how he would feel about where he would want to live if he was Rohingya, Mr Obama said, "I would want to stay in the land where my parents had lived, but I’d want to make sure that my government was protecting me and that people were treating me fairly."
His comments come as US Assistant Secretary of State Anne Richard told reporters that "Rohingyas need to be treated as citizens of Burma."
"They need to have identity cards and passports that make clear they are as much citizens of Burma as anyone else," she added. "We really hope we are working with a Burma that is on a path to being a more responsible member of the international community."
Amidst growing international criticism of Burmese democracy leader and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi for failing to speak out about the plight of the Rohingya, Ms Richard said,"we would love to see all Burmese leaders speak up on human rights and to realize that they should help the Rohingya."
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