RANGOON, Burma – Buddhist monks, politicians and other ethnic Rakhine figures are kindling hatred towards Muslim Rohingya in an area plagued by sectarian violence, President Thein Sein said in comments reported by AFP on Friday (August 24th).

Assessing the role of Buddhists in unrest in Rakhine state, which has left scores dead on both sides and displaced tens of thousands of people, Thein Sein said ethnic Rakhine were unable to accept the Rohingya as fellow citizens.

Decades of discrimination have left the Rohingya stateless and Burma's government considers their 800,000-strong population as foreigners, while many citizens see them as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.

"Political parties, some monks and some individuals are increasing the ethnic hatred. They even approach and lobby both the domestic and overseas Rakhine community," Thein Sein said in a report sent to Parliament on August 17th.

"Rakhine people are continuously thinking to terrorise the Bengali Muslims living across the country," he said, using a term frequently used in Burma for Rohingya.

A leading Rakhine political party rejected the findings, saying it had already lodged "an objection" over the report to Parliament.

"We don't agree with their review... such a review should not be released in this current time ... it can worsen the clashes," said Aye Maung, chairman of Rakhine Nationalities Development Party.