YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — A growing sense of desperation is fueling a mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims from western Myanmar, with at least 8,000 members of the long-persecuted minority fleeing by boat in the last two weeks, according to residents and a leading expert. The vast majority live in the northern tip of Rakhine state, where an aggressive campaign by authorities in recent months to register family members and officially categorize them as "Bengalis" — implying they are illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh — has aggravated their situation. According to Rohingya villagers contacted by The Associated Press, some were confined to their villages for weeks at a time for refusing to take part in the "verification" process; others beaten or arrested. Every year, Eid al-Adha, celebrated by Muslims worldwide, marks the beginning of a major exodus of Rohingya in Rakhine state, in part due to calmer seas but also because it is a final chance to spend time with family and friends.