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Impossible to return India, Choksi to CBI

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New Delhi: Fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi, accused of causing fraud worth crores of rupees to the Punjab National Bank, has said it was “impossible” for him to return to India because his passport has been suspended.

“It is impossible for me to travel back to India. I wish to point out that the Regional Passport Office Mumbai has not given me any explanation as to why my passport has been suspended and as to how I am a security threat to India,” Choksi said in a letter to the CBI, which is probing the alleged fraud.

He has said he was travelling “abroad for my business” and had embarked on the journey before the probe agency filed an FIR against him.

(IANS)

BJP ministers quit Chandrababu Naidu’s cabinet in Andhra

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Amaravati (AP): BJP ministers Kamineni Srinivas Rao and P. Manikyala Rao tendered their resignations to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday.

Medical and Health Minister Srinivas Rao and Endowments Minister Manikyala Rao met the Chief Minister in his chamber in the Assembly and handed the letters of resignation to him.

They thanked Naidu for the opportunity as the Chief Minister also appreciated their efficient working.

Later, Srinivas Rao said: “I had the privilege of working with him for more than three-and-a-half years. I recently asked him about his opinion on my work. He gave me the certificate that I have no enemies,” he said.

Manikyala Rao said he learned to operate a computer because of Naidu’s stress on use of technology in the administration.

“Earlier, I knew only making and receiving calls. I was never used to texting. Now, I operate computer because of Naidu’s thrust on the use of technology…,” he said.

The resignation came ahead of the presentation of the budget fpr 2018-19 in the Assembly by Finance Minister Y. Ramakrishnudu, a party official said.

Both BJP ministers had stayed away from the cabinet meeting here that was convened to formally approve the budget.

Thursday’s development comes after the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Wednesday announced its decision to pull out of the Narendra Modi government in protest against refusal of the Centre to grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh, saying the Centre has done injustice to the state.

Naidu announced to the media that two TDP ministers — P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju (Civil Aviation) and Y.S. Chowdary (Minister of State for Science and Technology) — will tender their resignations on Thursday.

(IANS)

SC restores Hadiya’s marriage, slams HC verdict

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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday set aside the Kerala High Court order annulling the marriage of Hadiya in Kerala ‘love jihad’ case.

The SC said that Hadiya can’t be in anyone’s custody and that she is free to follow her pursuits. “She can complete her studies, live with whosoever she wants. Nothing remained for the court to decide after she expressed her will,” an apex court bench said.

The court further added that she can’t be compelled to go or live with anyone.

In May 2017, the Kerala High Court had declared Hadiya’s marriage “null and void” and described it as a case of ‘love jihad’. The HC said the marriage is a “sham and has no consequence in the eye of the law”.

The HC bench said, “A girl aged 24 years is weak and vulnerable, capable of being exploited in many ways… Her marriage being the most important decision in her life can be taken only with the active involvement of her parents.”

The court also ordered the Director General of Police (DGP) of the state to conduct “comprehensive” investigation into cases of ‘Love Jihad’ and have the incidents of forcible conversion probed thoroughly.

The HC emphasised “the existence of an organizational set up functioning behind the scenes” in such cases of ‘Love Jihad’ and conversions while noting the “national interest is at stake”.

Allowing a plea filed by the woman’s father, the HC had flagged the role of extremist organisations behind influencing her and instilling radical thoughts as it handed over her custody to the parents again.​

Earlier, on Tuesday, Hadiya’s father Ashokan had told the court that she was being “psychologically and physically abducted”. This was in response to an affidavit filed by Hadiya.

This over a month after the Supreme Court observed that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) cannot probe the marital aspect of the Hadiya case.

(Agencies)

Naa Nuvve And Officer Are All Set To Clash This Summer

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This summer, will surely see an unusual clash between a breezy love story and a hardcore action movie. One stars a Tamil & Telugu sensation Tammannah Bhatia while the other stars a veteran actor. It’s a clash one didn’t see coming, but from the looks of it, it’s now official. Naa Nuvve & Officer are all set to clash on 25th May, 2018 as both have locked in on the same release date. There is no competition really, because both belong to different genres. In fact for moviegoers, it’s a win – win situation as they are spoilt for a choice between a breezy love story & a high octane action movie. Naa Nuvve stars Tammannah Bhatia & Nandamuri Kalyanram. From the looks of the teaser and the first ever look poster, it promises a breezy, summer love story. Tamannaah Bhatia plays an RJ who hosts a show based on love however Nandamuri Kalyanram’s role has been kept under wraps. PC Sreeram who is known for his splendid cinematography in various romantic films is part of Naa Nuvee as well. As for Officer, it is one of the most awaited films because it marks the reunion of Nagarjuna & Ram Gopal Verma for the second time. This actor – director duo are returning after twenty eight years with yet another exciting project. The last time they came together, they created Shiva, one of the biggest hits of Tamil cinema. The movie earned cult status on its release. The first look poster of Officer features a fierce looking Nagarjuna, ready to kill if the situation demanded. The tag line aptly read as, “Cops were never this scary”.

Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety Emerges As #1 Leaving Behind Nachiyaar & Kalakalappu 2

The first week of Mar, 2018 saw no new releases in Tamil and Telugu due to the ongoing tiff between producers & online digital service providers. As the latter party charge an exorbitant fee for every film, the producers have initiated a protest and are making sure no films releases until an agreement is come upon. Negotiations so far have failed following several meetings. If the strike continues for another week, summer releases are bound to get affected. This strike however has proved to be advantageous for all the old releases of last week, last month as they continue to dominate screens without any competition. At the Chennai Box office turnstiles, while old films continue to be part of top 5, a non Tamil film like Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety surprisingly has taken on the Numero Uno position. This not – so – big – budget Bollywood film has been faring well at the Indian Box office turnstiles ever since its release. Clearly it is now the topic of discussion even down south. Despite competition from Nachiyaar & Kalakalappu 2, this movie has emerged as #1.

Telugu Cine Stars Pay Their Respects To Late Sridevi

Film personalities from Telugu film industry paid their tributes to Indian cine superstar Sridevi at a condolence meeting organized at Hyderabad. The gathering was organised by T Subbarami Reddy Lalithakala Parishat (TSR – LKP). Film actor Krishnam Raju, renowned playback singer P Susheela, former MLA & film actor Kota Srinivasa Rao, actors Jagapathi Babu, Rajasekhar, Jaya Prada, Jaya Sudha, Jeevitha & Amala Akkineni were amongst the names who offered their tributes at the meeting. Incidentally speaking Sridevi, passed away on 24th Feb, 2018 due to accidental drowning in Dubai at the age of 54. The career of the actor, who entered the film industry as a child artiste, acted in over 80 Telugu films. Some of them were Bobbili Puli, Padaharella Vayasu, Muddula Koduku, Vetagaadu & Karthika Deepam amongst others. Sridevi’s career spanned 5 decades across multiple languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada & Hindi. Rajya Sabha member & former Union minister T Subbarami Reddy recalled his association with the actor. ”Sridevi, besides her great talent of acting had been a great human being in life”.

Soundarya Rajinikanth Condemns Piracy Of 2.0 Teaser

Superstar Rajinikanth’s younger daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth recently condemned the leak of the movie 2.0 teaser and called it a “heartless act”. The teaser of Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar & Amy Jackson starrer2.0 was leaked on social media platforms. The video went viral soon after it surfaced online. Soundarya Rajnikanth took to Twittter to express her disappointment & anger. “Leaking content online before the official release should not be tolerated or encouraged! This is a heartless act ignoring hard work, efforts & sentiments of the makers for few seconds of excitement! Be ashamed, stop piracy, stop misusing digital medium,” she wrote. 2.0 will mark the Tamil debut of Akshay and his first film with Rajinikanth. The film also stars Adil Hussain & Sudhanshu Pandey. Directed by Shankar, 2.0 is a sequel to the 2010 blockbuster Enthiran (Robot) which also featured Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Last House Of Horror

Over the years, Sandalwood has seen many variations on the horror theme. Now, a new film in Kannada is trying to bring a new kind of horror film to the Kannada audiences. The new film titled Kade Mane (Last House) directed by Vinay is a horror film with a rural backdrop. The film tells the story of a village boy whose mistake results in some horrifying incidents. The team has shot the film in Tumkuru, Mandya, Mysuru & Srirangapattana. The team is now busy with post production. The film is being produced by Nandan S under Keerthan Creation and has Yuvaraj, Kalpana, Balraj Madi, Kodi Ranga, Bank Janardhan and others in important roles. Kade Mane has songs composed by Gautam Srivathsa.

Mahesh Falls In Love With His PA

The expectations on Mahesh Babu’s upcoming movie Bharat Ane Nenu under the direction of Koratala Siva are very high. Mahesh Babu is going to play the role of a Chief Minister for the first time ever in his career. Bollywood beauty Kiara Advani is debuting in Tollywood with this film. Ever since it was announced that Kiara Advani is the leading lady of this film the audiences have been debating about whether it will be like all the other commercial heroine’s role which are dedicated to just two songs & three scenes or a heavy role. But unlike them, it seems like Kiara Advani is going to play a performance oriented character in this film. She is going to appear as a personal assistant of Mahesh Babu in Bharath Ane Nenu movie. She is going to be the pillar of strength for Mahesh Babu throughout the film and the love story between the CM with his assistant is going to be romantic. The movie is slated to get released on 20th Apr, 2018.

Nithiin to Act With Chiyaan Vikram In A Kamal Haasan Film

Kamal Haasan & Chiyaan Vikram have joined hands for a film. They both are not acting together, even though one hopes that would happen, Kamal Haasan is producing a film with Chiyaan Vikram. Kamal Haasan wants to continue production on his Raj Kamal International films banner, even when he transforms into a politician completely after Indian 2. He announced a film with Chiyaan Vikram recently & Rajesh Selva, his assistant for many films & director of Cheekati Rajyam, will direct the film. The young director is trying to make a remake of a French film, once again, like his previous one. Raj Kamal International has acquired the rights officially from the makers. In this film, hero Nithiin, has been approached for a pivotal role. But Nithin wants to completely hear the script and then decide. Yet negotiations are going on with him and he will soon announce about his presence in the film, once everything is worked out.

Nayanthara’s Retirement Plan

Whether it is a star heroine or a normal person, everyone needs to have a perfect retirement plan such that their fag end of life won’t suffer from financial difficulties. It looks like lady super starlet Nayanthara is having a good retirement plan in her bag already. Though the duo has been tight lipped about their relationship, Nayanthara and her rumored boyfriend, director Vignesh Shivanhave been flaunting their love chemistry quite open. The latest USA pictures of Nayanthara spending cozy time with Vignesh Shivan on the streets of Los Angeles & California are going viral on the internet. The lovebirds who are alleged to be tying the knot soon are now visiting the United States frequently. Obviously Nayanthara has been preparing her retirement plan. The rumors claim that Nayanthara has invested around ten crores and started a hotel business in a suburb in California district. If everything plans out well then by the time she is going to retire from the film industry she can get a Green Card also. Nayanthara’s elder brother who lives in Dubai is said to be taking care of this investment.

Bhallaladeva Of Baahubali Turns Thief

After getting stellar fame through the “Baahubali” franchise, Tollywood’s hottest hunk Rana Daggubati is busy with his new projects in Tollywood and even Bollywood. His role as Bhallaladeva in SS Rajamouli’s “Baahubali” won him rave reviews and he has been on a signing spree since then. His next film is Haathi Mere Saathi and the first ever look of the film was unveiled recently. Recently Rana Daggubati inked the deal to star in a biopic. A film is being made on the life of the notorious thief Tiger Nageswara Rao and Rana Daggubati will play the main lead. The makers are planning to wrap up Tiger Nageswara Rao’s shoot within just two months. Currently, the makers are busy in pre – production work. The regular shoot will commence from May, 2018 and will be helmed by Vamsi Krishna and bankrolled by Anil Sunkara under his banner. Rana Daggubati will be seen next in a bilingual Telugu – Tamil film Madai Thiranthu / 1945, being directed by Sathya Siva, in which Regina Cassandra is playing the female lead. Rana Daggubati will also be seen playing a crucial role in the Gautham Menon directorial venture Enai Nokki Payum Thotta, which has Dhanush in the lead and the Malayalam film Anizham Thirunaal Marthanda Varma.

Rakul Preet Singh Has Reduced Two Things

Delhi beauty Rakul Preet Singh who used to be a top heroine in Tollywood has no crazy projects in her hand right now. She used to be the only choice for the filmmakers at that time but as she shifted her focus to Bollywood the Tollywood offers reduced for her. When Rakul Preet Singh was ruling the industry there was a talk that she demands hefty paychecks. But now, she has reduced the remuneration a lot. Even though the makers now know about this they are not focusing on her. There has been a talk from a long time that Rakul Preet Singh is going to play one of the leading ladies in the much awaited multi – starrer of NTR & Ram Charan under the direction of SS Rajamouli. But now the Baahubali director is going to take another heroine instead of Rakul Preet Singh. Though she has been facing a bad time in Tollywood the actress has been bagging good offers from Kollywood. She has already acted in Theeram Adhigaram Ondru movie starring Karthi which also got released in Telugu as Khaakee. Now she is going to share the screen space with his brother Surya in his upcoming movie. The actress has already reduced so much weight and the remuneration as well.

No visible possibility of Gitanjali, Nirav dues recovery: ICICI, Axis bank officials

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Mumbai: Top officials of ICICI and Axis banks have told an anti-fraud agency that recovery of loans worth Rs 1,000 crore seemed impossible from the Nirav Modi and Gitanjali Group of companies.

According to sources, ICICI Bank Executive Director N.S. Kannan and Axis Bank Deputy Managing Director V. Srinivasan, who appeared before the Serious Frauds Investigation Office (SFIO) in Mumbai on Tuesday, told investigators that there was “no visible possibility” of recovering the money from the companies owned by fugitive jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.

Kannan told the anti-fraud agency, which comes under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and probes white-collar economic crimes, that its exposure to these entities was Rs 800 crore.

ICICI Bank in a regulatory filing in the BSE on Wednesday clarified that the bank has “no exposure to the Nirav Modi group of companies, nor has the bank issued any Letter of Undertaking; nor has any buyer’s credit exposure against LoUs with respect to Nirav Modi group of companies as well as the Gitanjali group of companies.”

It, however, added: “The bank is a part of the working capital lender consortium in the Gitanjali group of companies along with several other banks wherein its exposure is not the largest.”

Srinivasan also confirmed that his bank had lent Rs 200 crore to the two groups.

In another regulatory filing, Axis Bank said: “…we would like to state that exposure of Axis Bank to these entities (Nirav Modi and Gitanjali group of companies) is approximately Rs 200 crore.”

According to the sources, both said that there was “no visible possibility of any recovery”.

The anti-fraud agency on Tuesday asked ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar and Axis Bank’s Shikha Sharma to appear in person or send representatives to explain to SFIO how much their banks had lent to jeweller Nirav Modi and his partner and uncle Mehul Choksi. The two have fled the country.

(IANS)

Karnataka Lokayukta stabbed ‘thrice’ in Bengaluru office, attacker arrested

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Bengaluru: Karnataka lokayukta P. Vishwanatha Shetty was stabbed multiple times by a man who went to meet him in his office on Wednesday and was admitted to hospital. Shetty is stated to be out of danger.

The accused, who appeared before the Lokayukta in connection with a case, has been nabbed, Karnataka home minister Ramalinga Reddy told PTI.

“According to information I have, someone claiming to be an advocate had gone to the office and stabbed him,” he said.

Shetty, a former Karnataka high court judge, is out of danger, Reddy said.

“He is in Mallya Hospital… The information I have is he is out of danger… The reason (for the attack) is not known.”

(PTI)

Mukesh Ambani richest Indian; Jeff Bezos tops global rich list

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New York: Mukesh Ambani’s net worth has soared to $40.1 billion, making him the richest Indian for the 11th year in a row, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos toppled Bill Gates as the world’s wealthiest person, says Forbes.

According to Forbes’ 2018 ‘World’s Billionaires’ list, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s wealth surged a whopping 72.84% to $40.1 billion (Rs 2,60,622 crore) – highest among the 119 Indian billionaires on the list.

Ambani was ranked 19th globally, up from 33rd position in 2017.

“Mukesh Ambani chairs and runs $51 billion (revenues) oil and gas giant Reliance Industries, among India’s most valuable companies,” Forbes said.

Bezos, referred to as the “Centi-billionaire”, topped the list with a net worth of $112 billion, becoming the only person to appear in the Forbes list with a 12-figure fortune.

“Shares of his e-commerce giant Amazon rose 59% in 12 months, helping boost his fortune by $39.2 billion. It was the biggest one year gain since Forbes started tracking billionaires in 1987,” it said.

The Amazon founder moved ahead of Bill Gates, who is now the second richest person globally with a fortune of $90 billion.

According to Forbes, India is home to 119 billionaires, 18 more than last year.

This year’s list consists of 2,043 of the richest people in the world.

The combined net worth of this elite group is a whopping $9.1 trillion, up 18% since last year. Their average net worth is a record $4.1 billion.

Azim Premji is the second richest Indian and was ranked 58th on the overall list with a net worth of $18.8 billion, followed by Lakshmi Mittal (62nd position, net worth of $18.5 billion), Shiv Nadar (98th, $14.6 billion) and Dilip Shanghvi (115th, $12.8 billion).

The 10 richest Indians include Kumar Birla, ranked 127th overall with a fortune of $11.8 billion, Uday Kotak (143, $ 10.7 billion), Radhakishan Damani (151, $10 billion), Gautam Adani (154, $ 9.7 billion) and Cyrus Poonawalla (170, $9.1 billion).

Acharya Balkrishna, the co-founder of FMCG company Patanjali Ayurved, was ranked 274th on the list with a net worth of $6.3 billion.

“Acharya Balkrishna derives his fortune from fast-growing consumer goods giant Patanjali Ayurved. Balkrishna owns 98.6% of the privately-held company, which he cofounded with politically well-connected yoga guru Baba Ramdev,” Forbes said.

Meanwhile, Anil Ambani, the younger sibling of Mukesh Ambani was ranked 887th on the list with a net worth of $2.7 billion.

Indian jeweller Nirav Modi is among the drop-offs from the list, along with Papa John’s Pizza founder John Schnatter, Christoffel Wiese of South Africa, and Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud. Donald Trump, who became the first billionaire president in US history in January 2017, was ranked 766th on the list, down from 544, with a fortune of $3.1 billion. Trump’s fortune fell $400 million since March 2017.

There were 259 newcomers, including the first ever cryptocurrency billionaires, while 121 dropped out due to falling fortunes or political headwinds, including 10 Saudi Arabians.

Forbes further noted that the gap between the really rich and the merely rich continues to widen, as fortunes soar to new heights so much so that the 20 richest people on the planet are worth a staggering $1.2 trillion, a sum roughly equivalent to the annual economic output of Mexico.

“In aggregate, they may represent less than 1% of total billionaires but their riches amount to 13% of the total fortune of all billionaires worldwide,” Forbes said. The Forbes Worlds Billionaires list is a snapshot of wealth using stock prices and exchange rates from February 9, 2018.

(PTI)

Owaisi slams Sri Sri Ravi Shankar over Ayodhya remarks

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New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI): All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi today slammed spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for his remarks on the Ayodhya dispute saying it was contempt of the Supreme Court and stressed that the apex court should not hear the matter till the next Lok Sabha election.

Talking to news channel NDTV yesterday, Ravi Shankar said, “According to Islam, you cannot pray in a disputed site so anyway they can’t have a mosque there. This way everyone wins.”

The spiritual leader said that the Supreme Court order would not resolve the issue.

“If the court rules against a temple, there will be bloodshed. Do you think the Hindu majority will allow it? They will garner resentment towards the Muslim community,” he had said.

Owaisi slammed Rav Shankar’s comments, saying “I would say that he has committed contempt of the Supreme Court by whatever he has said.” Owaisi also said that the apex court should not hear the matter till the next general elections.

After his (Ravi Shankar’s) open threat of infighting people saying that if the issue is not decided in favour of X group, then India would become like Syria, I think the Supreme Court should not hear this matter till the next Lok Sabha elections because politics is being done over it, he told NDTV.

He said Ravi Shankar has come out with his weird statement deliberately before the hearing on the issue in the court on March 14.

He alleged that Ravi Shankar’s comments showed that he (Ravi Shankar) was not a man of peace and does not believe in the Constitution.”

(PTI)

Congress sweeps Rajasthan local body bypolls held across 21 districts

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Jaipur: The Congress on Wednesday swept the Rajasthan local body bypolls which were held across 21 districts of Rajasthan for electing Zilla Parishad members, Panchayat Samiti members and Nagar Palika/Nagar Parishad members on Tuesday, March 6. The Congress won in all three local bodies.

Out of the 6 Zilla Parishad seats where bypolls were held, the Congress won 4, Bharatiya Janata Party won 1 and an Independent candidate won one. In the Panchayat Samiti member bypoll on 21 seats, the Congress won 12, BJP won 8 while Independents won 1.

In the Nagar Palika/Nagar Parishads bypoll on six seats, the Congress won 4 while the BJP won 2. Soon after the results were out, Congress leader Sachin Pilot tweeted, “After winning the recent MP&MLA by elections, Cong has today comprehensively routed BJP in the local body by elections held in 21 dists in Rajasthan!”

In Bikaner district, Congress won all three seats. Congress’s Savitri Devi Jakhar won Shri Dungargarh Panchayat Samiti seat in Panchayat Samiti bypolls. Congress’s Bhanwari Devi won from Nokha’s Jasrasar seat. Congress’s Sunita Devi won the Baadnu Lal Madesar seat.

In Barmer, the Congress’s Kheemawati Meghwal won Ward 37 of Zilla Parishad. Congress also won the Ward 7 of Dungarpur Zilla Parishad. The Congress also won both Wards 1 and 18 of Karouli Zilla Parishad.

These bypolls came a month after the Congress won two Rajasthan Lok Sabha seats – Alwar and Ajmer – and one Assembly seat – Mandalgarh – where bypolls were held.

(Agencies)

Rohingya ‘ethnic cleansing in Myanmar continues’: UN

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About 700,000 Rohingya have fled over the border to Bangladesh since August [Munir Uz Zaman/AFP]

by Al Jazeera

Myanmar is continuing its “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya, while claiming it is ready to receive them back from Bangladesh, according to a UN human rights envoy.

Andrew Gilmour, UN assistant secretary-general for human rights, made the remarks in a statement on Tuesday after speaking to newly-arrived Rohingya in Bangladesh’s refugee camps on his four-day visit to Cox’s Bazar district.

“The ethnic cleansing of Rohingya from Myanmar continues. I don’t think we can draw any other conclusion from what I have seen and heard in Cox’s Bazar,” he said.

“It appears that widespread and systematic violence against the Rohingya persists,” the statement said.

His statement also said it was “inconceivable” that any Rohingya would be able to return to Myanmar in the near future, despite Myanmar’s pledges to start taking back some refugees.

“The Government of Myanmar is busy telling the world that it is ready to receive Rohingya returnees, while at the same time its forces are continuing to drive them into Bangladesh,” Gilmour said.

“Safe, dignified and sustainable returns are of course impossible under current conditions.”

“The nature of the violence has changed from the frenzied blood-letting and mass rape of last year to a lower intensity campaign of terror and forced starvation that seems to be designed to drive the remaining Rohingya from their homes and into Bangladesh.”

Persecuted community
The Rohingya, one of the most persecuted communities in the world, are not recognised as citizens of Myanmar and face widespread discrimination from the authorities.

Prior to the current exodus, tens of thousands of Rohingya have already been living as refugees in several neighbouring countries.

The plight of the Rohingya reached its peak in Myanmar six months ago when the country’s military cracked down on the minority group in Rakhine State, sparking a mass exodus.

About 700,000 Rohingya have fled over the border to Bangladesh since the violence erupted in August, bringing with them consistent testimony of murder, rape and arson by soldiers and vigilante mobs.

Doctors Without Borders (known by its French acronym, MSF) has estimated that at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in the first month of the crackdown alone.

Hundreds of Rohingya villages were torched, and recent satellite imagery showed at least 55 villages have since been completely bulldozed, removing all traces of buildings, wells and vegetation.

Myanmar’s military says its crackdown was needed to root out Rohingya armed rebels who attacked border police posts in August, killing about a dozen people.

In January, Myanmar and Bangladesh announced a repatriation deal, but rights groups and Rohingya have raised concerns about the agreement, saying it does not guarantee full citizenship, or safety, for those who return.

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