By THE IRRAWADDY 27
June 2018
“We will Destroy
Everything: Military Responsibility for Crimes Against Humanity in Rakhine
State, Myanmar,” released today, names 13 officials, including the military
chief and his deputy Vice Senior General Soe Win, as having command
responsibility for the murder, rape and deportation of Rohingya.
YANGON — Myanmar
Military chief Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and several of his subordinates should
be tried for crimes against humanity for the military’s actions against
Rohingya in northern Rakhine State last year, Amnesty International says in a
new report.
The report says
Amnesty International “has evidence that responsibility for these crimes
extends to the highest levels of the military, including Senior General Min
Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of the Defense Services.”
Some 700,000
Rohingya have fled to neighboring Bangladesh in the wake of a military
clearance operation in northern Rakhine triggered by a coordinated attack on 30
police posts and a military base by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
in late August. The Myanmar government has denounced the group as terrorists.
The report calls for
Myanmar to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for
investigation and prosecution. It coincides with the ICC’s consideration to
open a case against the country over the allegations of forced deportation
across international borders.
“The UN Security
Council should immediately refer the situation in Myanmar to the International
Criminal Court (ICC), so that the Office of the Prosecutor can begin
investigating crimes under the Rome Statute,” the report says. It adds that the
referral should cover crimes across the country as the military has also
committed crimes under international law elsewhere, including in Kachin and
northern Shan states, dating back to at least 2011.
Reacting to the
ICC’s request last week that Myanmar weight in on a possible investigation or
prosecution; government spokesperson U Zaw Htay said: “The
ICC has nothing to do with Myanmar and whatever [steps toward]
prosecution the ICC has made, Myanmar has no reason to respond.” https://lnkd.in/dWDzrQY
Names on
the list
The list of accused
by Amnesty International, besides Snr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and Vice Snr. Gen.
Soe Win, includes senior commanders with responsibility for units that
allegedly committed many of the worst atrocities such as Brigadier General Khin
Maung Soe, commander of Military Operation Command 15; Brigadier General Aung
Aung, commander of the 33rd Light Infantry Division; and Brigadier General Than
Oo, former commander of the 99th Light Infantry Division.
The list also
includes Lt. Gen. Aung Kyaw Zaw, commander of the Bureau of Special Operations
No. 3; Major Aung Myo Thu, a field commander with the 33rd Light Infantry
Division; Major General Maung Maung Soe,
commander of the army’s Western Command, which oversees Rakhine State; and
Brigadier General Thura San Lwin, commander of the Border Guard Police during
the time of the alleged crimes. Both the 33rd and 99th light infantry divisions
were deployed in northern Rakhine State in mid-August.
On Monday, the
European Union imposed sanctions on seven senior
officials of the Myanmar Army, including six people on Amnesty
International’s list. That night, only hours after the sanctions were
announced, the army said in a statement
that Maj. Gen. Maung Maung Soe had been fired from the military earlier in the
day for underperformance in responding to Rohingya militant attacks, and that
Lt. Gen. Aung Kyaw Zaw was “given permission to resign” in May. https://lnkd.in/dpVsCB9
Amnesty
International’s report also names several low-level commanders and soldiers who
played a critical role in specific incidents. They include the commanding
officer of the Taung Bazar Border Guard Police base, Tun Naing, who committed
and ordered torture and other ill-treatment; Border Guard Police Corporal Kyaw
Chay, who committed torture and other-ill treatment at the Zay Di Pyin Border
Guard Police base; and Staff Sergeant Ba Kyaw, one of the principal
perpetrators of the massacre in Maung Nu village.
Amnesty
International said it sent letters earlier this month to Myanmar authorities
including the state counselor, commander-in-chief, minister of defense and
chief of police. The letters requested specific information about any criminal
investigations and judicial proceedings related to the security forces’ operations
in northern Rakhine State around Aug. 25.
“The State
Counselor’s Office confirmed receipt on 13 June. At time of publication,
Amnesty International had not received any response from the civilian or
military authorities,” it said.
Neither the government
nor the military were immediately available for comments on Wednesday.
Last month Amnesty
International released another report with
evidence of a massacre of Hindus by ARSA in Rakhine State last year, making it
the first international rights group to shed light on what it called “the
largely under-reported human rights abuses” by the militant group. Reacting to
that report, the military issued a statement praising Amnesty International for
its neutrality and encouraging other international organizations and media to
follow its example. https://lnkd.in/dR25Unp