Myanmar: Serious Rights Abuses Persist

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

 

 

 

January 13, 2021

No Justice for Ongoing Crimes Against Humanity, Apartheid

Voters wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus line up to cast their ballots at a polling station near Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, November 8, 2020. © 2020 AP Photo/Thein Zaw

 

(Bangkok) – The Myanmar government has repeatedly violated basic civil and political rights, and failed to hold the country’s security forces accountable for atrocities against ethnic minorities, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2021.

The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party overwhelmingly won the November 8, 2020, election, which was marred by serious problems. Prior to the vote the government prosecuted its critics, censored opposition party messages, and did not provide equal access to state media. Systemic problems include the continued ethnic Rohingya disenfranchisement, the 25 percent of assembly seats reserved for the military, and the lack of an independent and transparent Union Election Commission. The commission cancelled voting in 57 primarily ethnic minority townships for security reasons, but provided little or no consultation or explanation to affected political parties and candidates.

Probe into Japan beer firm's links to Myanmar rights abuses 'inconclusive'

 MYANMAR TIMES

AFP
11 JAN 2021

A customer picks up a can of Kirin beer at a liquor shop Tokyo, 19 January 19, 2009. Photo: EPA-EFE

 

Japanese beer giant Kirin said Thursday an investigation into whether money from its joint ventures with the Myanmar military had funded rights abuses was "inconclusive".

Myanmar stands accused of genocide at the UN's top court after a brutal 2017 crackdown by the military forced 750,000 northern Rakhine Muslims to flee to refugee camps in Bangladesh.

 

After mounting pressure from rights groups and UN investigators, Kirin Holdings last year asked consultancy group Deloitte to determine how the money from its business tie-ups with Myanmar military-owned breweries had been used.

"Unfortunately, the assessment was inconclusive as a result of Deloitte being unable to access sufficient information required to make a definitive determination," Kirin said.

It is "wholly unacceptable" for any proceeds from the joint ventures to be used for military purposes, its statement added.