Myanmar faces UN pressure over campaign against Rohingya

A new UN draft resolution takes aim at Myanmar's aggressive campaign to have its Rohingya Muslims accept an identity they reject, and urges they be granted "access to full citizenship on an equal basis".

The resolution is one element of international pressure on Myanmar to change its campaign, preferably before world leaders including US President Barack Obama arrive for a regional summit in less than two weeks' time.

Myanmar's 1.3 million Rohingya have emerged as a sensitive issue as the country, a predominantly Buddhist state, tries to move away from decades of repressive military rule.

The Rohingya have been denied citizenship and have almost no rights. Attacks by Buddhist mobs have left hundreds dead and 140,000 trapped in camps. Others are fleeing the country.

Authorities want to officially categorise the Rohingya as "Bengalis", implying they are illegal migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh. The Rohingya counter that many of their families have been in Myanmar for generations. Effectively stateless, they are wanted by neither country and say the government's campaign feels like an effort to have them systematically erased.

Most Rohingya live in Rakhine state. President Thein Sein is considering a "Rakhine Action Plan" that would make people who identify as Rohingya not only ineligible for citizenship but candidates for detention and possible deportation.

The resolution now before the UN General Assembly's human rights committee is non-binding, but a strong vote in support would send a message that international opinion is not on Myanmar's side. A Myanmar diplomat assigned to that committee said, "It's too early to say."