March 2, 2017

Burma Army Defends Arakan State Operations, Denies Reports of Abuses

The Tatmadaw, Burma’s military, defended its crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority in Arakan State as a lawful counterinsurgency operation at a rare news conference on Tuesday, adding that it was necessary to defend the country.

It was the first time the top generals directly addressed the mounting accusations of human rights abuses, which, according to UN experts, may amount to crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

“I want to say that I am very sad because of these kind of reckless accusations and neglect of the good things that the government and the military have done for them,” said Gen Mya Tun Oo, chief of the general staff, referring to the reports in the media quoting Rohingya residents describing the alleged abuses such as burning of houses in the area. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)

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