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| Yanghee Lee |
By Yanghee Lee
UN
special rapporteur slams Myanmar govt policies
A United Nations
special rapporteur has issued a strongly worded statement accusing Myanmar of
implementing policies reminiscent of the previous military government, and of
presiding over a worsening security and human rights situation.
Yanghee Lee, after
ending a 12-day visit to Myanmar on Friday, had a catalogue of concerns,
including reports of killings, torture, the use of human shields by security
forces, deaths in custody, and an ongoing humanitarian crisis for the Rohingyas
and other minorities forced from their homes.
She said the
situation of the Rohingyas from the Rakhine state, many of whom have been
forced from their homes amid reports of grave human rights violations, had
hardly improved since her last visit in January, according to a UN press
release issued in Geneva yesterday.
“I continue to
receive reports of violations allegedly committed by security forces during
operations. There also appear to be incidents of Rohingyas being targeted for
applying to be verified as citizens, as well as village administrators and
other Muslims targeted for being 'collaborators' for working with the
authorities -- leaving many Rohingya civilians terrified, and often caught
between violence on both sides,” she said.
She was concerned
about the treatment of prisoners, Lee said.
Her own movements
had been severely restricted and access to crisis-hit areas remained off-limits
even to international organisations, she said, adding that people who met her
had faced harassment, and the government had sought to place unprecedented
preconditions on her visit.
The special
rapporteur, who visited Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw as well as parts of Rakhine,
Shan, and Kayin states, said she had been “astonished” at the government
attempts to limit her activities and movements.
“I am disappointed
to see the tactics applied by the previous government still being used.
“I understand the
new government wishes to normalise its relations with the United Nations, but
Myanmar must first become a country that deserves less attention and scrutiny.
“We are told not to
expect Myanmar to transition into a democracy overnight -- that it needs time
and space,” she noted.
“But in the same
way, Myanmar should not expect to have its close scrutiny removed or its
special monitoring mechanisms dismantled overnight. This cannot happen until
there is real and discernible progress on human rights.
”The UN expert noted
that the authorities have already recognised that state protection and security
must extend not only to the Rakhines but also the Muslim communities.
She, however, said,
“The government must take concrete steps in this regard, including
investigating all alleged violations, ending discriminatory practices, and
restoring freedom of movement.
”She said around
120,000 people from the area were still living in camps in Myanmar after
fleeing their homes, and there was little prospect of a long-term solution.
“Some people were
told they would be in the camps for three days, but this has turned into five
long years,” she added.
Rohingya refugees
have been a big headache for Bangladesh as it has been hosting 300,000 to
500,000 Myanmar Muslims for over three decades. They fled to Bangladesh
whenever there were crackdowns by Myanmar security forces.
After the latest
crackdown that began on October 9, 2016, some 75,000 more people took refuge in
Bangladesh.
In addition, some
33,000 registered Rohingyas have been staying in two UNHCR refugee camps while
another 300,000 Myanmar's nationals have been living illegally in Cox's Bazar,
Chittagong, Bandarban, and Rangamati districts for years.
Lee, a South Korean
national and a professor at Sungkyunwan University in Seoul, would present the
full report of her visit to the UN General Assembly in October.