Burma’s security forces have committed mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya Muslims, and burned their villages since October in a campaign that “very likely” amounts to crimes against humanity and possibly ethnic cleansing, the UN human rights office says.

Human rights advocates both at home and abroad this week issued calls for the creation of an independent, international commission of inquiry into allegations of serious human rights abuses committed by Burmese security forces in northern Arakan State.

Groups say RCSS/SSA maintains a campaign of closing schools, detaining civilians and monks, recruiting soldiers, and looting households in Ta’ang areas.

A group of Burmese workers is suing their former employer, a poultry farm in Thailand, for $1.33 million in compensation for alleged abuses.

A new report alleges that a recent Burmese army offensive in Shan State was linked to coal-mining operations opposed by local people.

Thousands of girls from poor families across Burma work as maids for wealthier households, and often face gruelling working hours and abuse.