Human rights organisation Amnesty International has called on the military regime in Myanmar to end the repression of ethnic minorities before the elections scheduled to be held later this year.

The regime has not yet set a date for the elections, which would be the first since 1990.

A recent report by Amnesty International accuses the government of torturing and killing activists from Burmese minority groups. The report coincides with a visit to Myanmar by United Nations human rights envoy Tomás Ojea Quintana.

He is investigating the human rights situation with special emphasis on the position of ethnic minorities, and is currently visiting Rakhine state in the northwest of the country which is home to the Rohingya people. Tens of thousands of Rohingya, who are predominantly Muslim, have fled to Bangladesh.