Myanmar's military chief on Monday denounced the claim to citizenship by Rohingya Muslims, and defended the government's crackdown on them.
"We have already let the world know that we don't have Rohingya in our country," army chief Min Aung Hlaing said in a speech marking Myanmar's armed forces day.
"Bengalis in Rakhine state are not Myanmar citizens and they are just people who come and stay in the country," Hlaing added.
Myanmar is now under civilian leadership but its powerful military, which ruled the country until recently and built up a notorious reputation for rights abuses, still uses the armed forces day to flex its muscle.
Rohingya Muslims, stripped of their citizenship in 1982, are often referred to as "illegal" immigrants by Myanmar's leaders. About 1.1 million Rohingya are denied citizenship and their movement is severely restricted, with tens of thousands confined to dire camps since violence drove them from their homes in 2012.
Hlaing's speech came just one day after the government rejected a decision by the United Nations rights council's to send a fact-finding mission to Myanmar to investigate allegations of rape and murder by security forces against Rohingya. (Courtesy of aljazeera.com)
March 28, 2017
March 27, 2017
Myanmar rejects UN probe into Rohingya abuse claims
Myanmar yesterday rejected the United Nations rights council's decision to investigate allegations that security officers have murdered, raped and tortured Rohingya Muslims, saying the probe would only "inflame" the conflict.
The Geneva-based body agreed on Friday to "urgently" dispatch a fact-finding mission to the South- east Asian country, focusing on claims that police and soldiers have carried out violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine state.
The army crackdown, launched last October after militants killed nine policemen, has sent tens of thousands of Rohingya fleeing across the border to Bangladesh. Escapees have given UN investigators gruesome accounts of security officers stabbing babies to death, burning people alive and committing widespread gang rape. (Courtesy of straitstimes.com)
The Geneva-based body agreed on Friday to "urgently" dispatch a fact-finding mission to the South- east Asian country, focusing on claims that police and soldiers have carried out violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine state.
The army crackdown, launched last October after militants killed nine policemen, has sent tens of thousands of Rohingya fleeing across the border to Bangladesh. Escapees have given UN investigators gruesome accounts of security officers stabbing babies to death, burning people alive and committing widespread gang rape. (Courtesy of straitstimes.com)
March 25, 2017
Burma: UN Takes Key Step for Justice
The United Nations Human Rights Council on March 24, 2017, took a key step toward preventing future abuses and bringing justice for victims in Burma by adopting a strong resolution condemning violations and making significant recommendations, Human Rights Watch said today.
The resolution authorizes the council president to urgently dispatch an independent, international fact-finding mission to Burma. The mission would establish the facts and circumstances of alleged recent human rights violations, particularly against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, to ensure “full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims.”
“The Human Rights Council’s authorization of an international fact-finding mission is crucial for ensuring that allegations of serious human rights abuses in Burma are thoroughly examined by experts, and to ensure that those responsible will ultimately be held accountable,” said John Fisher, Geneva director. “Burma’s government should cooperate fully with the mission, including by providing unfettered access to all affected areas.” (Courtesy of hrw.org)
The resolution authorizes the council president to urgently dispatch an independent, international fact-finding mission to Burma. The mission would establish the facts and circumstances of alleged recent human rights violations, particularly against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, to ensure “full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims.”
“The Human Rights Council’s authorization of an international fact-finding mission is crucial for ensuring that allegations of serious human rights abuses in Burma are thoroughly examined by experts, and to ensure that those responsible will ultimately be held accountable,” said John Fisher, Geneva director. “Burma’s government should cooperate fully with the mission, including by providing unfettered access to all affected areas.” (Courtesy of hrw.org)
U.N. will investigate crimes against Rohingya in Myanmar
The top United Nations human rights body agreed on Friday to send an international fact-finding mission to investigate widespread allegations of killings, rape and torture by security forces against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's Rakhine state.
But Myanmar ambassador Htin Lynn, speaking before the decision was taken by consensus, rejected the move as "not acceptable". Myanmar's national commission had just interviewed alleged victims who fled to Bangladesh and would issue its findings by August, he said.
The U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution without a vote, brought by the European Union and supported by countries including the United States, that called for "ensuring full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims". Courtesy of reuters.com)
But Myanmar ambassador Htin Lynn, speaking before the decision was taken by consensus, rejected the move as "not acceptable". Myanmar's national commission had just interviewed alleged victims who fled to Bangladesh and would issue its findings by August, he said.
The U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a resolution without a vote, brought by the European Union and supported by countries including the United States, that called for "ensuring full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims". Courtesy of reuters.com)
A brazen political killing shakes Myanmar, already teetering on the path to democracy
U Ko Ni had just stepped off a plane and was standing curbside at the airport in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar. The tall, gray-haired lawyer cradled his 3-year-old grandson while passengers around him spoke on their phones or climbed into taxis.
No one seemed to notice as a man in shorts and sandals sidled up behind Ko Ni, drew a 9-millimeter pistol inches from his head and pulled the trigger.
The fatal shooting not only silenced one of Myanmar’s most prominent legal experts, it exposed the dangers lurking below the surface of this former military dictatorship’s fitful transition to democracy.
In the old Myanmar — previously known as Burma and ruled by a junta for a half-century — political activists routinely disappeared into prisons or died in murky circumstances. Then in 2010, the military began ceding authority to civilians.
Pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won a parliamentary majority in 2015 elections, and last October the Obama administration lifted economic sanctions, formalizing Myanmar’s reentry into the global community. (Courtesy of latimes.com)
No one seemed to notice as a man in shorts and sandals sidled up behind Ko Ni, drew a 9-millimeter pistol inches from his head and pulled the trigger.
The fatal shooting not only silenced one of Myanmar’s most prominent legal experts, it exposed the dangers lurking below the surface of this former military dictatorship’s fitful transition to democracy.
In the old Myanmar — previously known as Burma and ruled by a junta for a half-century — political activists routinely disappeared into prisons or died in murky circumstances. Then in 2010, the military began ceding authority to civilians.
Pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won a parliamentary majority in 2015 elections, and last October the Obama administration lifted economic sanctions, formalizing Myanmar’s reentry into the global community. (Courtesy of latimes.com)
March 23, 2017
UN official says 'crimes against humanity' could be unfolding in Myanmar
Their homes burned and relatives killed, Rohingya have been fleeing northern Myanmar since October.
They trek for miles along a dangerous route -- risking drowning, disease and capture by the military -- to cross the border into neighboring Bangladesh, where refugee camps provide temporary shelter
.
Tens of thousands of members of Myanmar's Muslim minority have left in this fashion, and their treatment may amount to "crimes against humanity," warns UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee.
"When there's 77,000 people running away from their home towns, leaving everything ... the international community should really step up to the plate," she told CNN.
Lee has visited northern Rakhine State, which has been largely off limits to journalists and NGO workers since early October, and spoken to many refugees. (Courtesy of edition.cnn.com)
They trek for miles along a dangerous route -- risking drowning, disease and capture by the military -- to cross the border into neighboring Bangladesh, where refugee camps provide temporary shelter
.
Tens of thousands of members of Myanmar's Muslim minority have left in this fashion, and their treatment may amount to "crimes against humanity," warns UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee.
"When there's 77,000 people running away from their home towns, leaving everything ... the international community should really step up to the plate," she told CNN.
Lee has visited northern Rakhine State, which has been largely off limits to journalists and NGO workers since early October, and spoken to many refugees. (Courtesy of edition.cnn.com)
India Has Special Responsibility to Help Myanmar Address Rohingya Issue: UN Expert
Thousands of Rohingya have been displaced since renewed violence broke out in October, with India saying Myanmar be given more time to resolve the issue.
As the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) gets ready to call for a UN fact-finding mission to Myanmar, special rapporteur Yanghee Lee said that India has a special obligation to use its “good relations” to persuade Nay Pyi Taw to support an independent and fair inquiry into serious allegations of human rights violations against the Rohingya people during the current round of violence in Rakhine State.
In an interview with The Wire, Lee, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, stated that New Delhi had to be more involved and vocal in finding a sustainable solution to the Rohingya problem, as ripples from the violence continue to spread across Myanmar’s neighbourhood. (Courtesy of thewire.in)
As the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) gets ready to call for a UN fact-finding mission to Myanmar, special rapporteur Yanghee Lee said that India has a special obligation to use its “good relations” to persuade Nay Pyi Taw to support an independent and fair inquiry into serious allegations of human rights violations against the Rohingya people during the current round of violence in Rakhine State.
In an interview with The Wire, Lee, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, stated that New Delhi had to be more involved and vocal in finding a sustainable solution to the Rohingya problem, as ripples from the violence continue to spread across Myanmar’s neighbourhood. (Courtesy of thewire.in)
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