Myanmar Rohingya militants call for peacekeeping troops

A nascent Rohingya militant group whose raids triggered a bloody crackdown by Myanmar's army called today for international peacekeepers to protect the stateless Muslim minority.

Attacks on police border posts in northern Rakhine State in October claimed by the group, which now calls itself the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ASRA), sparked a crackdown by security forces that sent tens of thousands fleeing to Bangladesh.

In a statement widely shared by Rohingya activists outside of Myanmar the outfit said it had acted to "defend, salvage and protect (the) Rohingya community in Arakan (Rakhine)".

"We have the legitimate right under international law to defend ourselves in line with the principle of self-defence," it said.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)