First minister gives immediate aid to help those fleeing ethnic violence in south east Asia.

Scottish ministers have pledged £120,000 in support of the refugee crisis in Mynmar.

Clashes between ethnic groups has forced hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya civilians to flee towards Bangladesh.

Predominantly Muslim, the Rohingya have existed uneasily in the province for decades.

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minster, met with heads of Scots Muslim organisations yesterday (19 September) to discuss the situation in Rakhine.

Tensions have now spilled over forcing communities to flee into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Sturgeon said: “This afternoon I was pleased to meet with heads of Muslim organisations from Scotland, who share my deep concern about the situation in Burma’s Rakhine Province.”

The Rohingya have been classed as the world’s only stateless population by the United Nations.

International aid agencies have raised concerns about the humanitarian impact of large numbers of people being forced to flee their homes.

It comes as campaigners accused Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winning prime minister of Myanmar, f ethnic cleansing for refusing to help the embattled Rohingya.

Sturgeon added: "Given the immediate humanitarian crisis that Rohingya Muslims are facing, and following a recommendation from the expert panel that oversees Scottish Government’s Humanitarian Emergency Fund, I am also today announcing that up to £120,000 will be made available for the emergency response for the Rohingya refugee crisis.

“The Scottish Government expects all states to comply with fundamental and human rights law, to condemn human rights abuses wherever they occur, and to take positive action to confront abuses and give practical, day-to-day effect to human rights and fundamental freedoms.”