October 28, 2016

Blanket denials of Rakhine abuses threaten Myanmar’s moves to democracy

Hopes for democracy in Myanmar are this week at their most vulnerable point since the National League for Democracy swept to electoral victory last year, as the military continues to ignore Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s calls for it to abide by the rule of law in northern Rakhine State and allegations of rights violations grow.

In an interview that bodes very badly for people in Rakhine and across the country, U Zaw Htay of the President’s Office flatly denied allegations of arbitrary arrests and torture in the state’s north as troops there continue to hunt for those behind three deadly assaults on border police bases on October 9.

On October 25, meanwhile, a video posted on YouTube by a group calling itself Faith Movement claimed that Rohingya rights activists were behind the attacks, the first time any organisation has taken responsibility for them since they occurred. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)

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