Date: 23 March 2017
The European
Rohingya Council (ERC) welcomes the recommendations made by Mr. Kofi Annan led
Advisory Commission on Rakhine State. However, under no circumstances, it must
serve to prevent the UN led independent fact-finding Commission to Rakhine
State.
Mr. Kofi Annan led
Advisory Commission on Rakhine State has called for unimpeded access for
humanitarian workers and international media to the affected areas in Northern
Rakhine. The Advisory Commission’s recommendation of relocating the IDPs from
the camps to their original homes is also worthy of immediate implementation.
Rohingya should be able to live in peace and pursue their livelihood like any
other inhabitants of Rakhine State. It is the obligation of the current
government to provide safe and security to its people.
In the light of
serious allegations of crimes committed by Myanmar armed forces against
Rohingya since October last year, the Advisory Commission has called on the
government of Myanmar, to ensure the perpetrators of human rights violations
are held accountable based on independent and impartial investigation.
Nevertheless, the
Commission operated and made recommendations in accordance with the 1982
Citizenship Law which is used to deny Rohingya citizenship and basic human
rights. The Commission supported the process of the discriminatory and
intimidating National Verification Cards (NVCs) where Rohingya are forced to
declare themselves as ‘Bengali’. This severely violates the right to
self-identification of the Rohingya, which remains the root cause of the
dehumanizing of Rohingya in Myanmar.
Burma’s name was
changed to Myanmar in 1989 by the unelected military regime and therefore
lacked legitimacy. Still the international community and UN have accepted the
name ‘Myanmar’ relying on the principal that every country, group or individual
has the right to name itself as it wishes. Based on this principle, the
Advisory Commission also violates the very basic right to self-identification
by referring Rohingya as ‘Muslims of Arakan’. It must be noted that this
Commission serves only as an Advisory Commission on Rakhine State with no
investigatory role.
Myanmar and all its
handpicked Commissions of Inquiry have repeatedly declared all atrocities
including rape as fabrication and exaggeration. None of the Commissions formed
by the governments since 2012, have so far admitted or accepted the allegations
despite the fact that numerous credible audios, videos and photographic
evidences of the atrocities are available.
The sudden
willingness of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government to follow and implement only some
of the Kofi Annan led Commission’s recommendations is no wonder a deceptive
strategy of Myanmar to defuse the mounting pressure at the world stage. Recent
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr. Zeid Raád al-Hussein backed by UN
special Rapporteur Ms. Yanghee Lee sought for an urgent setting up of a full
international Commission of Inquiry into the findings of recent atrocities
against Myanmar’s Rohingya in Rakhine State. Timing of releasing Kofi Annan’s
recommendation and subsequent Myanmar government acceptance on it raises
serious doubt on the sincerity and willingness of the government.
The recommendation
is welcoming to a certain extent, but great cautions must be taken by the
international community to ascertain if Myanmar is acting not to escape from
the confronting UN fact-finding mission.
It is the utmost
priority of the UN and all member states of the Human Rights Council to make
sure that UN led probe into the recent violence against Rohingya in Rakhine
State is done as soon as possible. It is of great importance to bring the UN’s
attention on the 423 prisoners locked down without any legal access or
assistance.
The military hold
them arbitrarily without having evidence but pursuing their own agenda of
genocide; to wipe them out ending with killing the detainees and close their
files, thus hiding the evidence before the looming of UN led crimes
investigation. Therefore, we urge the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to
persuade Myanmar government to bring them to trial in presence of an UN
observer.
We appreciate the
announcement by the European Union to call for an international fact-finding
mission to Myanmar. We must be fair to all parties; to Rohingya and Myanmar
government. All of them are entitled to know the truth. The UN led independent
investigation is also an opportunity for Myanmar government to prove itself of
all were right with them. We strongly urge all 47 members of UNHRC to mandate a
UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate crimes against Rohingya perpetrated by
Burmese military in northern Rakhine State to ascertain the group is free from
prejudice and moral failure.
For more
information:
Dr. Anita Schug;
+4915750685496;
spokesperson @theerc.euSpokesperson
The European
Rohingya Council