THE Prime Minister is to be asked by Blackburn with Darwen Borough to step up action over the he plight of Rohingya Muslims in the former Burma.

It’s full Council Forum voted unanimously to authorise chief executive Harry Catherall to write to Theresa May calling for a bigger effort from the UK government and the United Nations to bring an ‘immediate and lasting stop to the violence and killing’ in the country. now called Myanmar.

Proposer of the motion, Bastwell councillor Shaukat said the Rohingya, many fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh faced ‘living hell’ and were ‘the most persecuted community in the world’.

Council Tory group leader John Slater revealed to the meeting he had written a personal letter to the Prime Minister calling for action on the crisis.

Queen’s Park councillor Salim Mulla said: “What is going on in Myanmar to the Rohingya is a disgrace. It is ethnic cleansing and a humanitarian disaster.”.”

Borough leader Mohammed Khan said: “We cannot stray silent and must speak out.”

Mr Catherall will also write to foreign secretary Boris Johnson, and Blackburn and Darwen with Rossendale MPs Kate Hollern and Jake Berry on the issue.