At the UN, Myanmar says there is no ethnic cleansing, genocide against Rohingya Muslims
The country’s ambassador asked other nations to look at the situation more objectively.
Myanmar on Monday told the United Nations General Assembly that there was no ethnic cleansing or genocide against Muslims in the Rakhine state. Such terms require a legal review and strong evidence before being used, said the country’s ambassador to the United Nations, Hau Do Suan.
He said that such accusations by other countries were irresponsible and unsubstantiated. He urged countries to “see the situation in northern Rakhine objectively and in an unbiased manner”.
Several nations had spoken about the plight of more than 420,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh since August 25, when attacks by insurgent groups led to a military crackdown and further violence.
Earlier in September, the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner had criticised Myanmar’s apparent “systematic attack” on the Rohingya minority. “Because Myanmar has refused access to human rights investigators, the current situation cannot yet be fully assessed, but the situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing,” Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein had told the UN Human Rights Council.
Refuting such allegations, Suan said there were several reasons – mainly “fear factor” – for the exodus. “There is no ethnic cleansing. There is no genocide. The leaders of Myanmar, who have long been striving for freedom and human rights, will not espouse such policies. We will do everything to prevent ethnic cleansing and genocide,” he added.
The Rohingya crisis
Lakhs of Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh in recent weeks, after violence broke out in Rakhine state. The United Nations had referred to the crisis in Myanmar as an “ethnic cleansing”.
Rohingyas have been denied citizenship in Myanmar and are classified as illegal immigrants. The community has been subjected to violence by the Buddhist majority and the Army in Myanmar, though the country has repeatedly denied this claim.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s de-facto leader, has been facing criticism from world leaders, and the crisis has threatened to jeopardise Myanmar’s US-aided shift toward democracy after five decades of military rule.