Yangon: The secretary general of the world's largest bloc of Islamic countries said emotional visits with members of the long-persecuted Rohingya Muslim community — chased from their homes by Buddhist mobs and arsonists — brought him to tears.
"I've never had such a feeling," said Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, as he and other delegates from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation wrapped up a four-day tour to Myanmar that included talks with the president, ministers, interfaith groups and U.N. agencies.
But it was the huge, emotional crowds living in trash-strewn camps outside the Rakhine state capital, Sittwe that made the biggest impression, he said: "I was crying."
Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist nation of 60 million, emerged from a half-century of military rule in 2011, but it's transition to democracy has been marred by sectarian violence that has left more than 240 people dead and sent another 240,000 fleeing their homes.
