21 Jan 2020
Rohingya refugees gather near the fence in the “no man’s land” zone between Myanmar and Bangladesh border as seen from Maungdaw, Rakhine state during a government-organized visit for journalists on Aug 24, 2018 — AFP
KUALA LUMPUR: A UK-based Rohingya group Monday dismissed a report published by Myanmar’s Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE) the same day which concluded that no evidence of genocide was found despite proof of war crimes committed by some members of Myanmar security forces.
The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) in a statement said the full report, which had yet to be made public, is another attempt to whitewash the Tatmadaw’s (Myanmar armed forces) brutal violence against the Rohingya.
“ICOE has been deeply flawed from the start, with serious questions about its mandate and lack of independence. Monday’s announcement is a blatant PR exercise to deflect attention from the International Court of Justice’s ruling later this week.
“It is simply another attempt by the Myanmar authorities to sweep the Rohingya genocide under the carpet,” said Tun Khin, BROUK’s spokesman, in the statement.
Tun Khin said the four-member panel ICOE seemed to imply that any abuses by Myanmar security forces were merely acts of individual soldiers and failed to pin the blame on senior Myanmar military officers that other experts have credibly linked to atrocity crimes, including Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
He noted that it was also concerning that the Tatmadaw officers accused of crimes will likely be tried in domestic military courts, which lack independence and transparency to deliver justice.
“In April 2018, for example, military courts jailed seven soldiers for their role in massacring Rohingya civilians in the village of Inn Din in 2017. The soldiers were however pardoned and released less than a year later,“ he said.
Tun Khin said the ICOE’s announcement also appears to be timed to coincide with the Gambia’s genocide case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The ICJ will announce on Thursday whether to impose provisional measures on Myanmar, effectively a legal injunction barring Myanmar from further genocidal acts against Rohingya.
“Myanmar has for years made it abundantly clear that it simply cannot be trusted to investigate itself. Past fact-finding bodies have been little more than window dressing for the international community, which have completely failed to deliver justice,” said Tun Khin.
“Thankfully, momentum is building for international justice. This week, we hope that the ICJ will impose strong provisional measures on Myanmar, ordering them to end genocidal practices against the Rohingya,“ he said. — Bernama
Link :https://www.thesundaily.my/local/rohingya-group-blasts-panel-report-on-violence-against-community-AM1916222
The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) in a statement said the full report, which had yet to be made public, is another attempt to whitewash the Tatmadaw’s (Myanmar armed forces) brutal violence against the Rohingya.
“ICOE has been deeply flawed from the start, with serious questions about its mandate and lack of independence. Monday’s announcement is a blatant PR exercise to deflect attention from the International Court of Justice’s ruling later this week.
“It is simply another attempt by the Myanmar authorities to sweep the Rohingya genocide under the carpet,” said Tun Khin, BROUK’s spokesman, in the statement.
Tun Khin said the four-member panel ICOE seemed to imply that any abuses by Myanmar security forces were merely acts of individual soldiers and failed to pin the blame on senior Myanmar military officers that other experts have credibly linked to atrocity crimes, including Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.
He noted that it was also concerning that the Tatmadaw officers accused of crimes will likely be tried in domestic military courts, which lack independence and transparency to deliver justice.
“In April 2018, for example, military courts jailed seven soldiers for their role in massacring Rohingya civilians in the village of Inn Din in 2017. The soldiers were however pardoned and released less than a year later,“ he said.
Tun Khin said the ICOE’s announcement also appears to be timed to coincide with the Gambia’s genocide case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The ICJ will announce on Thursday whether to impose provisional measures on Myanmar, effectively a legal injunction barring Myanmar from further genocidal acts against Rohingya.
“Myanmar has for years made it abundantly clear that it simply cannot be trusted to investigate itself. Past fact-finding bodies have been little more than window dressing for the international community, which have completely failed to deliver justice,” said Tun Khin.
“Thankfully, momentum is building for international justice. This week, we hope that the ICJ will impose strong provisional measures on Myanmar, ordering them to end genocidal practices against the Rohingya,“ he said. — Bernama
Link :https://www.thesundaily.my/local/rohingya-group-blasts-panel-report-on-violence-against-community-AM1916222
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