India snubs Bali Declaration for mentioning Rohingya violence

India has refused to sign a declaration adopted by an international conference because it mentioned the ongoing violence against Rohingyas in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

A parliamentary delegation led by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has been taking part in the World Parliamentary Forum on Sustainable Development in Indonesia's Bali.

The Bali Declaration strayed from its purpose of addressing ways to achieve Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs, said a press release by the Lok Sabha secretariat on Friday.

“This was in view of the fact that the declaration, which was to be adopted at the conclusion of the Forum, was not in line with the agreed global principles of ‘sustainable development’."

“Therefore, the proposed reference to the violence in Rakhine State in the declaration was considered as not consensus-based and inappropriate,” it said.

The part of the declaration to which India objected expressed “deep concern on the ongoing violence in the Rakhine State of Myanmar, amongst others...” said a report by The Hindu.

It went on to “call on all parties to contribute to the restoration of stability and security, exercise maximum self-restraint from using violent means, respect the human rights of all people in Rakhine State regardless of their faith and ethnicity, as well as facilitate safe access for humanitarian assistance.”

As Myanmar drew global criticism for its treatment of minority Rohingya Muslims, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed solidarity with the Buddhist-majority nation against "extremist violence" in the Rakhine state during his recent visit to the country.

The latest Myanmar army assault on the stateless minority group was prompted by coordinated terror attacks by Muslim insurgents on 30 Rakhine security posts on Aug 25.

The army responded to the attacks by launching a 'clearance operation' against insurgents who they claimed were hiding in Rohingya villages.

But the villagers who managed to escape the violence said soldiers fired on them indiscriminately and received help from Buddhist locals in looting and torching their houses.

As many as 270,000 refugees have crossed over to Bangladesh using perilous sea, river and land routes, according to UN workers. 

At least 400 are said to have been killed in Rakhine state as bodies continue to wash up in Bangladesh areas bordering Myanmar.