Members of the powerful UN Security Council on Monday sought robust and concerted actions by the international community to protect Rohingya refugees who have taken shelter in Bangladesh after fleeing neighboring Myanmar from the atrocities of security forces.
 “We have all heard horrifying accounts of what the Rohingya people have suffered – what ‘ethnic cleansing’ means to those on the ground. Now members of the Council have seen with their own eyes what this crisis has wrought. That leaves us with no choice but to act now,” the US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said.
Members of the Security Council, who recently travelled to Myanmar and Bangladesh to have a first-hand assessment of the condition of the Rohingyas, recounted the haunting stories of the refugee they met during their trip.
 “It was absolutely critical for the Security Council to see the crisis in Rakhine State and the challenges facing Rohingya refugees first-hand. One of the main reasons for the trip is the continuing, disheartening response from the Burmese government. Judging from the reaction of the government and the Burmese military, it seems like they have failed to acknowledge their role in this crisis,” Haley said.
Haley urged the 15-membered body to move quickly to adopt a resolution that institutes real steps to resolve this enormous, and growing, humanitarian and human rights crisis.
 “That, too, will be a challenge, as some members of the Council have kept us from taking action for cynical and self-interested reasons. Some undermined the unity the Council demonstrated during the trip with unhelpful edits that only weakened the Council’s message,” she said.
The British Permanent Representative to the UN Karen Peirce said that everybody on the Council was struck by the scale of what's happened to the Rohingya and everybody on the Council was deeply moved by the individual stories, particularly concerning children.
 “When you see 14 year-old boys with their legs blown off, that's very sobering. When you see 12 year-old girls who've had their parents shot in front of them and people in their community raped and in some cases gang raped, that is obviously bound to be very sobering,” Pierce said.
 “And I think particularly Council members were struck by the scale of the problem because wherever you looked from where you were standing to the horizon had all the refugees. They were struck by the scale; they were struck by the fact that only the UN really has the expertise and the know-how to help with this; and they were also struck by the lack of progress on the underlying political factors, particularly the citizenship issue,” the British Ambassador said.
Summarizing the Council’s 30 April meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, the Peruvian Ambassador Gustavo Meza-Cuadra said she had expressed eagerness to see the Rohingya refugees return home but cited delays in the process.  
Among other things, she had acknowledged the need to revise certain citizenship laws, as well as to create an atmosphere of trust among communities, Meza-Cuadra said.
Chinese Envoy Ma Zhaoxu said the visit had played a positive role in seeking a solution, with the Council gaining a deeper understanding of the complex situation in Rakhine State while seeing the sincere efforts of Bangladesh and Myanmar in addressing the key issues.
After the visit, the countries concerned had made further efforts to ease the situation, including a pending memorandum of understanding that would soon be signed, the Chinese diplomat said. He hoped that the two countries would resolve relevant issues through bilateral dialogue.
Going forward, the international community should increase humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh and Myanmar and work towards improving conditions, he said.
Addressing the Security Council, the permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Masud Bin Momen said that it is high time for the Council to consider a resolution on the situation in Myanmar.
The way the crisis had evolved made it abundantly clear that the Council should remain engaged with the issue on a regular basis.  
As Myanmar had underscored the need for time to address the causes of the crisis in Rakhine State, the Council would certainly recognise the importance of having a resolution to accompany Myanmar in that process, he said.
Hau Do Suan of Myanmar alleged that Bangladesh is making excuses to stall the repatriation process while also distorting facts and vilifying his country.
Reiterating his Government’s commitment to investigating and acting on all criminal allegations that were supported by evidence, he said the current crisis was a result of attacks by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army terrorists on border guard posts in northern Rakhine.
It is regrettable that, instead of fulfilling its commitments as laid out in bilateral agreements, Bangladesh had instead been making deliberate excuses to stall the repatriation process.  
It is also distorting facts and vilifying the government of Myanmar in order to solicit international condemnation and exert maximum pressure, he alleged.