The treatment of Burma's Muslim Rohingya people following violence that has left hundreds dead is a "campaign of ethnic cleansing", a Labour MP has warned.

Asking an urgent question in the Commons on recent violence in Rakhine, Burma, Labour's Yasmin Qureshi (Bolton South East) argued the situation required urgent intervention.

Burmese security officials and insurgents from the Rohingya are accusing each other of burning down villages and committing atrocities in Rakhine state in the west of the country.

Over a number of years there had been "systematic" rape, murder, burning and beheading of people in the Rohingya community, Ms Qureshi said.

She said: "Will the minister actually condemn this campaign of ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslims?"

She added: "This is one of the worst outbreaks of violence in decades, yet the international community is effectively remaining silent as we watch another Srebrenica and Rwanda unfold before our eyes."

Foreign and Commonwealth Office minister Mark Field responded: "Our Government will do all it can to condemn where condemnation is the right way forward, but she is well aware the politics of Burma are incredibly tense and incredibly difficult."

Ms Qureshi said she was "disappointed" by the minister's response "suggesting as if somehow the Rohingya Muslims and these people had caused this to occur".

His comments also drew criticism from the Tory former chair of the Foreign Affairs select committee Crispin Blunt.

Mr Blunt praised the "tone and manner" of the urgent question, adding how "disappointed" he was "with the tone of the minister which sounded pretty close to dumping the blame for this ethnic cleansing on the victim community".

He added that Aung San Suu Kyi was leading a government and military forces "who are associated with behaviour that is utterly unacceptable by any standard at all".

Mr Field responded: "I'm sorry that he chooses to use the opportunity to grandstand in the way that he does.....We have made it very clear that we do feel that Aung San Suu Kyi and her government do need to rise to the plate, we were not in any way forgiving or understanding of the terrible violence that is going on and its impact."

Mr Field said he intended to pay a ministerial visit to Burma in the "near future".

He said: "The recent violence serves, I believe, to undermine how important it is to address the long term issues in Rakhine and deliver for all communities.

"It should not deflect the Burmese government from the key task of addressing the underlying issues that has caused the people flee.

"As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has said, it is vital that the civilian government of Burma receives the support of the Burmese military and that Aung San Suu Kyi is not thwarted in her attempts to stabilise the situation.

"Along with the de-escalation of fighting our immediate priority is how urgent food and medical assistance can be provided to displaced citizens from all communities."

Mr Field said it was at the UK's request that the UN Security Council discussed the situation in Rakhine adding that the UK representative led the condemnation of attacks by Rohingya militants and urged a "measured and proportionate response" from the security forces.

Tory former Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire said there was "more that the Government could do" in terms of being a convening force to bring together countries who were involved with the Rohingyas.

Shadow foreign and commonwealth affairs minister Liz McInnes said the minister must do more than express disappointment.

"This Government must do everything it can to help bring an end to this senseless violence.

"Ministers must set clear and unambiguous red lines for Myanmar's (Burma's) authorities, civilian and military when it comes to respecting human rights and, if those red lines are crossed, there should be consequences."