India, other allies must stop weapons transfer to Myanmar: Amnesty International on Rohingya crisis
The non-profit has alleged that Burmese authorities have indulged in a ‘systematic, organised and ruthless’ campaign of violence.
International non-profit Amnesty International on Wednesday urged India to “immediately suspend” transfer of all military equipment to Myanmar in response to the violence against the Rohingya community. In a list of recommendations, the organisation asked countries on good terms with Myanmar, including India, to urge Burmese authorities to end the human rights violations in northern Rakhine state.
In its report titled “My World Is Finished”, Amnesty said it has evidence of “relentless human rights violations” that have forced over 5,20,000 Rohingyas to flee to Bangladesh in just seven weeks.
Burmese forces have killed hundreds of Rohingyas, raped women and burnt villages since the violence started in northern Rakhine on August 25, Amnesty International said. The military violence was a “systematic, organised and ruthless” campaign of crimes against humanity, according to the non-profit.
The report cites interviews with over 120 refugees, and several doctors, aid workers and journalists. It also uses satellite imagery to show targeted burning of several villages, which has continued into October.
Amnesty International has accused Commander-in-Chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, of not taking steps to ensure accountability for violations of human rights by his troops. It also accused him of writing “inflammatory” posts online.
“The Myanmar authorities have led a campaign of misinformation,” the report said, “But there is no denying that the military has committed extensive, egregious human rights violations and crimes over the last two months.” It added that witness accounts, satellite imagery and data, and photo and video evidence “all point to the same conclusion: Myanmar’s security forces unleashed an attack against the Rohingya population in its entirety.”