The Daily Star
June 01, 2021
Diplomatic Correspondent
Myanmar's National Unity Government has pledged to comply with the directives of the International Court of Justice, which last year ordered the country to prevent any acts of genocide against the Rohingyas in Rakhine State.
"The National Unity Government (NUG) is taking every step to cooperate with the International Court of Justice, the world's highest court, and, by that, to ensure that we comply with Myanmar's international legal obligations," Dr Sasa, union minister of international cooperation and spokesperson of Myanmar's shadow government, said in a statement yesterday.
The NUG is concerned about the difficult situation of the Rohingyas, especially who fled to Bangladesh in 2016-17. Nearly a million Rohingyas fled a military crackdown that has been dubbed by the rights bodies as genocide, read the statement.
In 2019, The Gambia, on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), filed a genocide case with the ICJ in the Hague. In the hearing, the then state counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi of the National League of Democracy (NLD), defended military actions.
The NLD, which won Myanmar's general elections last year and formed the government, was ousted by the military through a coup. NLD leader Suu Kyi and a number of other leaders were arrested, while a nationwide disobedience movement began and faced crackdown by the military.
Early this year, the ousted leaders formed a shadow government, NUG, which is seeking international recognition and mobilising Myanmar's ethnic groups, including the rebel ones.
On May 24, Myanmar's Army General Min Aung Hlaing cast doubt on the return of Rohingyas from Bangladesh, which has been sheltering around a million Rohingyas.
In yesterday's statement, the NUG did not say anything concrete about the Rohingya return.
It, however, mentioned that as the lawful government of Myanmar, it's among the NUG's duties to ensure continuity of representation before the ICJ and to be mindful of the timetable established by the Court.
"We will continue to work closely with the Court and all relevant stakeholders for the benefit of the country and all people in Myanmar."
PROTESTS BY REFUGEES
Several thousand Rohingyas yesterday staged "unruly" protests over living conditions on Bhashan Char where they were moved from vast camps on the mainland, reports AFP quoting police.
Since December, Bangladesh has shifted 18,000 refugees to the low-lying silt island from camps in Cox's Bazar, where around 850,000 Rohingyas live in squalid and cramped conditions. It plans to relocate 100,000 refugees to the island.
Link : Here
No comments:
Post a Comment