Myanmar. A new report from the United Nations has Burmese officials and their despot leader Suu Kyi in denial mode, as it shows a pattern of genocide in government relations towards its muslim Rohingya population.
Myanmar officials and the Burmese Army committed mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya in a campaign that “very likely” amounted to crimes against humanity and possibly ethnic cleansing, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a report.
The Burmese army on Tuesday rejected allegations of human rights abuses during its crackdown on Rohingya Muslim last year, made by the United Nations in a report on the operations that forced some 75,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.
Officials call it anti-terrorist operations, that came in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents on border guard posts last October, poses the biggest challenge yet to Burma’s leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who took power more than a year ago but has shown no interest in the control of her armed forces.
In response to the UN charges-Burmese military investigators, among others, interviewed nearly 3,000 villagers from 29 villages and “wrote down” testimony from 408 villagers, 184 military officers and troops. Three low-ranking soldiers were jailed for minor offences, such as stealing a motorbike or beating up villagers in one incident, it added.
A national panel set up by Suu Kyi in December and chaired by vice president Myint Swe, a former head of military intelligence, is also looking into the allegations.
To date, over 140,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to foreign shores to escape Burmese violence.