Government of Myanmar rejects UN calls for genocide charges

World Today

Rohingya refugees burst into tears during a protest march after attending a ceremony to remember the first anniversary of a military crackdown that prompted a massive exodus of people from Myanmar to Bangladesh, at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia on August 25, 2018. (AFP PHOTO / Dibyangshu SARKAR)

Myanmar has rejected a United Nations report calling for its top generals to be prosecuted for genocide. A U.N. fact-finding mission said there’s enough evidence to recommend the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC). It follows a crackdown that forced some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh.

CGTN’s Owen Fairclough reports.

Myanmar responded to a U.N. investigation by saying the organization was making false allegations. The U.N. is calling for officials to face charges over mass killings and rape of Rohingya Muslims with what it calls genocidal intent.

Rohingya refugees perform prayers as they attend a ceremony organised to remember the first anniversary of a military crackdown that prompted a massive exodus of people from Myanmar to Bangladesh, at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia on August 25, 2018. (AFP PHOTO / Dibyangshu SARKAR)

This follows a fact-finding mission into the treatment of 700,000 Rohingya who fled a military operation in Rakhine province last year.

The Myanmar government insists it was responding to attacks on police and military bases. It said it doesn’t accept the U.N. report because its investigators weren’t allowed in the country.

This file photo taken on July 19, 2018 shows Myanmar’s Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the Myanmar armed forces, saluting to pay his respects to Myanmar independence hero General Aung San and eight others assassinated in 1947, during a ceremony to mark the 71th anniversary of Martyrs’ Day in Yangon. (AFP PHOTO / YE AUNG THU)

“Accountability is essential for genuine reconciliation between all ethnic groups, and these are prerequisites for regional security and stability,” U.N. Security General Antonio Guterres said. “Regrettably, Myanmar has refused to cooperate with United Nations human rights entities and mechanisms, despite repeated calls to do so, including by members of this council.”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Myanmar at UN Headquarters in New York on August 28, 2018. (AFP PHOTO / DOMINICK REUTER)

However, forging an international consensus won’t be easy. China, having blocked U.N. security resolutions on the Rohingya crisis before, said the U.N.’s approach won’t help.

“I think that unilateral criticism or exerting pressure is actually not helpful in resolving the problem. China, as has always been the case, is simply seeking to play a constructive role in properly resolving this issue,” Hua Chunying of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

While the U.S. said its own forthcoming inquiry is consistent with the U.N.’s, it hasn’t used the term “genocide.”


Yun Sun discusses the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar

CGTN’s Asieh Namdar spoke to Yun Sun about the Rohingya crisis, from the disturbing allegations to the denials. Sun is the Co-Director of the East Asia Program and Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center think tank