UN Inspectors: Genocide in Myanmar Continues

UN inspectors and researchers state that not only has the genocide of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar not ended, but the government clearly shows no interest in establishing what could be called a true and effective democracy. Marzuki Darusman, head of the UN fact-finding mission in Myanmar, stated on October 25 that thousands of Rohingya are still seeking a safe place in Bangladesh, and between 250,000 to 400,000 remaining members of this minority in Myanmar are exposed to "restriction, repression, and severe suffering." Darusman told reporters, "This is genocide, which is still ongoing at this moment." Criticism has not stopped there. Yanghee Lee, the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, mentioned that she and many others in the international community had hoped that under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was once the most prominent figure for democracy in Myanmar, the country would "be very different from the past." However, she continued, "In reality, it has not changed much from the past." The Myanmar ambassador to the UN, on the other hand, described the UN fact-finding mission as a group that is "flawed, biased, and politically motivated." Htin Kyaw stated that the Myanmar government has "explicitly rejected" the conclusion that genocide has occurred. The wave of criticism and protests regarding the current situation in Myanmar from international bodies, including the UN, has been ongoing for months, although recent statements from both sides indicate that the situation has not changed significantly. The UN investigation team had also stated on August 27 that the Myanmar army had employed methods such as mass killings and gang rapes "with the intent of genocide" against the Rohingya Muslims, and its commander and five other generals should be prosecuted under international law. The UN Secretary-General stated that the report on the Rohingya killings deserves serious attention, although he did not use the term "genocide," he mentioned that independent inspectors have witnessed unpleasant cases of human rights violations that, according to him, "can undoubtedly be considered serious crimes under international law." A year ago, after clashes between a group of Rohingya rebels and the Myanmar army, a large-scale operation against the Rohingya minority began. However, the violence is not limited to the Muslim minority; Christians and Hindus have also been targeted in deadly violence. Amnesty International stated last spring that the Muslim minority in Myanmar "has committed killings against the Hindu minority in at least one or two instances." Less reported accounts of intense clashes between government-backed militias and the Christian minority in Kachin, located in the north of the country, have also been published.