Jakarta: The UN’s human rights chief says Myanmar’s persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority has the potential to spark regional conflict.

Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein reiterated while in Indonesia today that acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing may have occurred in the campaign of violence against Rohingya that sparked an exodus of nearly 1 million people to neighboring Bangladesh.

Zeid said, “Myanmar faces a very serious crisis with a potentially severe impact on the security of the region.”

He said, “If the Rohingya crisis were to spark a broader conflict based on religious identities, the ensuing disputes could be a cause for great alarm.”

Indonesia’s poor human rights record including persecution of LGBT people is expected to be under scrutiny during Zeid’s three-day visit. (AP)

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