ARNA Press Release: Call to Support Referral of Myanmar to ICC

by Admin, 

The native Rohingya people of Arakan (Rakhine) state, have been facing total destruction and slowly driven out from their homelands by the military powered governments from 1960s. Similar pogroms have been repeated veryviolently and rapidly since June 2012 with the name of 'transition to democracy', now NLD led by popular Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi.

Over five decades of ongoing brutalities, persecutions, oppressions, war-crimes and destruction against minorities including Rohingya, have been well documented and well known to international communities, world leaders and United Nations. Similar military powered current government became more powerful in practising of their brutalities and making them acceptable to international communities due to lack of action by United Nations, international communities, world leaders, and also for vital influence of China, Russia and India.

Vigilante attacks onwards from June 2012 have achieved wiping out of 90% of total Rohingya population numbering about a million of people, killing over 60,000 innocent people including children and women, destruction ofabout 400 villages, rapping thousands of women as young as aged  12, detention of thousands of people involving children, large scale of physical tortures, looting, extortion, trapping about 150,000 people into concentration camps and systematically confining the remaining people followed by blockage of aid and ration supplies, destroying identities and forcing to accept foreigner identity.

Today, the minority group after group have been facing total destruction in the hands of military personals. Many likebrothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons have been brutally murdered, violently raped in front of family members and cleansed in broad daylight.

The ongoing Rohingya crisis on the ground requires strong actions right now. We should not let any more lives lost and weaken the actions by soft talking with this same terror  government.  

The existence of United Nations, its laws, responsibilities and actions, their leadership roles and solidarity, foreign responsibilities, should not be compromised. We are very awful to see many countries still making a significant contribution to same terror government of Myanmar.

Types of the government's operations and usage of heavy arms and air strikes, organized attacks, indiscriminately killings, brutal violence and rapes, massive destruction of historical buildings and houses, persistent persecution, arbitrary arrest, corporal and collective punishments, seizing identities, systematic oppression and repression, practicing unlawful discriminatory laws and orders, permanent segregation and creation of muslim free-zones, rigid confinement and restriction in every social, cultural, welfare, health-care, education, livelihood sectors and cutting off of electricity and waters, are clear evidences of genocide, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The government itself, authorities and armed forces top to bottom including the government trained Rakhine people and armed members of Arakan Liberation Party, were directly involved and heavily responsible for their brutal crimes.  Quotes of the ousted Thein Sein government to the UNHCR chief to relocate all Rohingyans to a third country in Aug 2012,  the current top military general Min Aung Hlaing on 1st Sept 2017- the ongoing operation in Rakhine state is 'unfinished businesses from world war II' and chairman of Rakhine National Development Party, Dr. Aye Maung on Venus News Journal 14 June 2012- "the Rakhine state should be established in the same way Israel was initially established", are very strong evidences.

This military powered NLD government led by Ms. Suu Kyi defiantly blocked the UN Inquiry Commission, foreign officials, independent journalists, aid agencies and ration supplies. As well as, it has constructed fake stories, provided reverse information, and dismissed the crisis on the ground by forming commission after commission and fancily fingering the armed Rohingya resistant group ARSA.

It is also noted that the attacks do not end with Rohingya and Kaman in Arakan state, but rapidly extended to other muslims living across central Burma from late 2012, with the incitements and intimidation of ex-prisoner monk Wirathu and his guider well known abbot Tidagu. The attacks swiftly spread across Yangon, Mandalay, Pagu, Saigaing, Magwe regions where killing hundreds, displacing tens of thousands, burnt down thousand of houses,declaring as muslim-free-villages and many of those displaced Burmese muslims are still not allowed to relocate in their villages of origin. 

It made very clear that the attacks target not only Rohingya but the entire muslim population of the country. The other ethnic groups in Rakhine state known as Kaman who are recognized within 135 ethnic groups, are also ending up similarly and pushed into concentration camps and labeled as ''illegal immigrants''. Many Rohingyas and Kamans those escaped from northern Arakan state thru inland waters and by lands, some after arrival in central Burma have been killed, arrested and imprisoned with hard labour. 

It is therefore signing the repatriation deal with Bangladeshi government is nothing more than a delusive task to topple international pressures from the account of genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. By laws, these heinous crimes should not be forgiven by ICC with the excuse of repatriation and or with other excuses.

Kachin civil society organizations who are suffering from large-scale violations of international law have also called on the United Nations Security Council to 'do their job' and refer Burma to the International Criminal Court.

The influence of China and Russia therefore should not be a barrier in exercising the UN's existing laws and powers to save over  a million of population from genocide and ethnic cleansing.  We believe the current Chinese president Xi Jinping who experienced Mao's ruthless persecution during his young age will support justice for Rohingya and other minorities of Burma.

Today majority of people and the government authorities are jointly denying our existence and attacking our people from all corners. For Rohingya, we are counting the deaths, destruction, attacks, rapes, arson and massive displacement. The Rohingya people therefore in need of a safe zone/statehood/protectorate/autonomy state, investigation by United Nations Inquiry Commission and urgent referral to ICC.  But not a repatriation, nor another shifty commission of NLD government.

The techniques of Myanmar government ever succeeded in every power transition period and the late attacks from June 2012 are very remarkable. Techniques included forcing of Hindhu villagers and attacking them for not joining the attacks onto Rohingyas, and forcing to put bendis onto the forehead to distinguish Hindu and Rohingya, Rakhine wearing the religious dress like Rohingya and showing attacks, Rakhine and Hindhus pretending as Rohingya and setting firing of houses.

So, we reject the AI 's recent report on the killings of Rohingya Hindhu villagers. We find the report detailed one side and transferral of responsible onto Rohingya armed groups. As well as, such implication creates additional hatred and riots on the top of existing atmosphere beyond Burma i.e in India. ARSA has invited the UN Inquiry Commission for investigation,  but we noted that the Myanmar government buried all of those discovered dead bodies after the cancellation of visit by the foreign diplomats and postponed to 2^nd Oct 2017.  The dead bodies were not independently investigated, nor Rohingya and Hindu villagers allowed for accurate verification to prove whether Hindhu or Rohingya.

We aware that since Myanmar government declared welcoming of Hindhus, it paves the Hindhu victims  to return home rather than languishing in Bangladesh camps. But because of they are now fallen under the claws of Myanmar authorities upon their return, it is no doubt like some other informer Rohingya they have to avert the blames onto ARSA so that they will not be harm after AI's departure. As well as, since the engagement was approached by AI, the authorities were readily able to persuade to overturn testimonies with various promises. AI 's lately conducted interviews from repatriated Hindhu Rohingyas who are currently under the claws of Myanmar authority in Sittwe township are indeed contradicted to their first testimonies provided freely in refugee camps. There are many reasons to say it is too early to agree with AI's prediction over the massacre of Hindus Rohingyas and it can't be categorically concluded before a proper independent investigation by UN fact-finding mission and ICC.

We are therefore and we strongly call the Bangladeshi government and member nations of Security Council to refer Myanmar to ICC. It should be done immediately since the NLD Aung San Suu Kyi led government refused to do so.

We would like to call all member nations of United Nations particularly member nations of Security Council, and international communities to join hands together:

1) To take effective and immediate actions onto the terror government of Myanmar.

2) To investigate properly by UN Inquiry Commission and referral of those perpetrators to ICC.

3) To re-install the 'rights base rules of laws' in Myanmar that guarantee the lost rights and dignity of Rohingya people.

4) To release all muslim political prisoners from central Burma and thousands of Rohingya prisoners involving children mostly detained in Sittwe Central Jail, Buthidaung Jail and many others who are detained in police lock-up and military camps.

5) To support Rohingya themselves to eventually establish a safe zone (or) a statehood (or) protectorate state (or) autonomy state thru Security Council's R2P Resolution when the above recommendations are unworked.

6) to cut business ties, suspend military aid and ban entry visa of Ms. Suu Kyi, military generals and their family members visiting, studying and investment.

We would kindly request governments around the world particularly muslim nations to stay alert over China and Russia and to boycott their products and investments in case their power misused in Rohingya affairs.

We also would like to remind the UNHCR and UNDP that the repatriation should not be camp to camp. As part of the development, the UNHCR and UNDP must make sure the Myanmar government lift all kind of restrictions,segregation, discrimination and barriers. Also to guarantee equal rights and citizenship once for all, relocation to places of origin, rehabilitation and to start this program with the remaining population who are trapped including those in concentration camps across Arakan state.

Thankfully,

(for media contact)

M.ILYAS, h/p: +(44) 7780 359718,   UK

Habib, h/p: +(61) 406 310077, Australia

HF Hashim, h/p: +(88) 1729 872581, Bangladesh

Ayub Khan, h/p: +(60) 11 33315246, Malaysia