Daily Times

The Rohingya horrors exposed by the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, sent chills down the spine of the world as a result some western conscientious countries called for the Security council meeting to be briefed by the head of mission.

The head of the UN fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar briefed the 15-member council, having argued that Rohingya crises in Myanmar presents precisely the kind of threat to peace and security the council was created to address, hence intervention by the council was urgently needed given the presence of an accountable military that acts with complete impunity.

Russia and China wielded with “Veto” who have friendly ties with Myanmar’s military and have constantly shielded it from opprobrium, tried to block briefing by Marzuki Darusman, but in vain due to procedural vote 9-6.This episode, on the one hand, shines light on the undemocratic behaviour of the two states and their indifference to the Rohingya, the most persecuted community, on the other it implies that they both will leave no stone unturned to undermine the process of prosecution of the Myanmar military generals involved in ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya. Marzuki Darusman, the head of the fact-Finding mission on Myanmar said,”it is an ongoing genocide of minority Rohingya Muslims that is taking place in Myanmar”.

The UN mission report submitted to the Security council, having fixed the responsibility upon the the armed forces of Myanmar known as Tatmadaw – called upon the council to refer the matter in question to the Hague based International Criminal Court (ICC) or to create an ado tribunal, citing the instance of former Yugoslavia, for the investigation and prosecution of Myanmar’s military generals including commander in chief Min Aung haling, for genocide in Rakhine state.

“National sovereignty is not a license to commit crimes against humanity or genocide”, the UN chair added. Having questioned the credibility of the UN mission report, Myanmar government rejected the observations of genocidal intent by its military, saying it acted to root out terrorists, and asserting it had itself set up a commission made up of Asian Diplomats.

Suu Kyi has not made efforts towards ethnic reconciliation, nor is there any sane voice within her part

To this, Myanmar got an earful from seasoned diplomat, Karen Pierre, UK’s Permanent Ambassador at UN, saying “Myanmar’s domestic commission of Enquiry cannot provide a real avenue for accountability, she warned, noting that previous commissions have preserved the military ‘s long- standing impunity.” During past Wednesday night briefing, Marzuki Darusman warned that if atrocities committed against minority Rohingya Muslims in that country went unpunished, such crimes would be repeated in other countries on new victims “.

Wake-up call was given to the world in order to avoid such catastrophe in future.

Injustice anywhere is threat to justice everywhere (Martin Luther King Jr.)

Marsuki made it clear that under current conditions the return of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar is not viable. Actually, there are various factors at play making repatriation bleak. In an apparent bid to erase physical evidence of the mass killings that took place in Rakhinestate, the Myanmar government has demolished areas and destroyed villages where thousands of Rohingya lived before fleeing to Bangladesh. In the wake of last August “clearance operation” following the alleged attacks on police check posts by the Arkan Salvation Army that saw an exodus as high as 750,000 to neighbouring Bangladesh, and reportedly 10,000 Rohingya were slaughtered under the cover of counter-insurgency. To root out terrorists turned out be Rohingya genocide.

With discriminatory Myanmar’s 1982 citizenship law that renders Rohingya stateless in their own country and negates their basic rights, and four hundred villages wiped off the map; and the condition of having National Verification cards (NVCs) that they call to be “genocide cards” they risked their lives to refuse those cards, the repatriation of Rohingya refugees – homeless and stateless – seems to be both impractical and unsustainable. This is the reason why, the UN chair linked Rohingya refugees’ returning to Myanmar to accountability of those indicted in the UN mission report. “To end such threats, and to prevent further atrocities, accountability is needed. Without such accountability, “there can be no sustainable, safe and dignified return of the Rohingya to Myanmar, nor can there be inter-community reconciliation, Marzuki Darusman stressed.” As the Tatmadaw have been placed above the law in Myanmar, accountability must come from the international community”, he added. The logic offered in the face of restrictions and repression by the Myanmar government, is not only convincing but also lending support to the charges shared by the Rohingya refugees with the investigators of UN fact-finding mission that either they would be killed if returned to Rakhine state under prevailing circumstances or would be bearing the brunt of military crackdown they fled.

One is dismayed that the civilian set up, under Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former political prisoner, is not different from dictatorship that deliberately fomented ethnic conflict and weaved divisive doctrine in the very psyche of the majority against the Rohingya and other minorities living in Myanmar. Toxic trolls uploaded on the Facebook fake accounts maintained by the Tatmadaw to incite hate and anger against Rohingya tells a tale of racial discrimination and prejudices. What is the use of democratically elected government of National league for Democracy (NLD) in office if both practice and cover-up of slow genocide of the Rohingya continues to be state policy? The situation on the ground has to change in order to acknowledge ethnic identity of the Rohingya-an indigenous group – in Rakhine. It is this identity they have fought for. To fight this fighting – preservation of ethnic identity – they have suffered and sacrificed a lot. After all, they risked their lives to refuse Natinal verification cards (NVCs), saw their loved ones being silenced for life, crops destroyed, land conficated, homes burned, babies tossed into fire, and their women and girls subjected to sexual violence as a result many succumbed to sexual injuries.

Suu Kyi has not made efforts towards ethnic reconciliation, nor is there any sane voice within her party calling for the change of policies and practices pursued against the Rohingya during the dark days of military in the country. Lee rightly remarked that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi lacks capacity or have no interest in fully-functioning democracy. Democratic dispensation without democratic values is no democracy. Two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and his colleague Kayawsoe, under draconian colonial laws wielded as weapon to target and silence those who raise voice against injustice, were arrested in Yangoon last December and charged with breaching Official Secrets Act, and subsequently sentenced to seven years imprisonment. Earlier, Suu Kyi intoxicated with power, is on record having termed the military campaign of torture, mass killing of Rohingya, and “rape of women and girls” by the security personnel as “made up “stories.

What the Myanmar military and Civilian leaderships have failed to understand so for is the diversity of “ethnic diversity.” Myanmar should not consider minorities a burden upon its shoulder, or a swarm of locusts threatening its majority’s prosperity. Diversity lubricates the engine of a country’s economy given the different traits, talent and skills ingrained in different communities. However, such a diverse society requires a pluralistic political framework of equality, accommodation, inclusiveness, recognition, and rights.” To prevent ongoing genocide, long due public acknowledgment of Rohingya ethnic identity by Myanmar regime and recondition of discriminatory laws is imperative. This is to say, I support the three recommendations given by Bangladesh during last month’s General Assembly General Debate to be implemented in letter and spirit as they are in line with action demanded by the UN mission as well as represent the aspirations of the Rohingya. Firstly, Myanmar must abolish discriminatory laws, policies and practices against the Rohingya. Secondly, Myanmar must create an environment conducive to building trust and guarantee the protection and rights of all Rohingya, including providing path to citizenship. Finally, Myanmar must prevent atrocity crimes against Rohingya by ensuring accountability and justice.

Transparency demands Myanmar military generals who have hitherto been sacred cows, are prosecuted and punished dejure; and justice is done to the Rohingya victims. It is encouraging to note that Australia and the USA in line with the UN report recommendations, have slapped sanctions on Myanmar military Generals indicted in the UN fact-Finding mission, other countries should follow the same in order to isolate perpetrators of crimes against humanity. A greater responsibility is placed on the global community for ensuring accountability and justice through individual and joint international strategy. Justice delayed, justice denied.

The writer is an Educationist and a freelance contributor; he can be reached at nazeerarijo@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, November  6^th 2018.