Int'l community should take united effort

How cruel and dreadful genocide the Myanmar army carried out in Rakhine has been surfaced in an investigation report recently published by Reuters, one of the world’s largest international multimedia news agencies. Army members draped in civil dress and some Buddhist monks and local vigilantes were involved in immoral and criminal acts of raping, looting, torturing, setting alight villages and killing in Rakhine state of Myanmar. Reuters recently published the report involving photographs captured by its two journalists which will raise concerns among people.

According to the photographs, 10 Rohingya men were tied up by ropes and buried in a mass grave after being hacked to death or shot by Buddhist neighbours and soldiers. Before killing them, the graves were dug by the Rohingya men. The photographs were captured on September 2 last year. The two Reuters journalists were investigating the brutalities and killings carried out by Myanmar army and its supporters Buddhist monks and local vigilantes on Rohingya people. But the Myanmar army detained them for allegedly breaching "Official Secrecy Act" and later sent them to jail.

In January of this year, Myanmar army chief identified the Rohingya people as "Bengali terrorists" and claimed that villagers killed them although the army chief confessed to the killing of Rohingya people. On the other hand, two members of Myanmar paramilitary forces said they had received an order from upper level to completely exterminate the Rohingyas. They said army members wearing civil dress used to take part in the mass killing of Rohingya people. The army members had to face major problem if they were dressed in uniform during the killing operation, they added. From the above statements, it is very clear that Myanmar military and its paramilitary forces were involved in the Rohingya genocide. The motive of the Myanmar military forces was to finally kill the Rohingyas. The allegation of attack the Myanmar security forces have brought against them was very thin and they are using the alleged attack as an excuse to escape trial.

Different international organisations including the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) condemned the brutal attack on Rohingya people and termed the attack as "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing". But the countries like China, Russia and India have taken the matter very lightly. We expect their stand on the Rohingya issue will be changed after witnessing the Reuters photographs. Those countries should exert pressure on Myanmar to keep away from the way to completely destroy the Rohingya people.

Rohingya men, women and children entered into Bangladesh in groups due to the clearance operation unleashed by the Myanmar army. Nearly eight lakh Rohingya have fled Rakhine state and crossed into southern Bangladesh since August, when attacks on security posts by insurgents triggered a military crackdown that the United Nations has said may amount to genocide. Bangladesh government has given shelter to the persecuted Rohingyas on humanitarian ground. The Myanmar government has agreed to take back the Rohingyas after holding bilateral talks and signing instruments regarding the issue with Bangladesh. But they are delaying the repatriation process showing various excuses. Again, according to many media reports, the Myanmar government is still carrying out fresh attacks on Rohingya people who are in Myanmar. This situation is actually deepening the crisis more.

To end the genocide carried out by Myanmar security forces against Rohingya and ensure their rights to live, the international community will have to play a key role and take a united effort. We will have to work on the issue unitedly so that Myanmar are forced to fully implement the report of the Advisory Commission chaired by Kofi Annan to protect Rohingyas and ensure their safe return to Myanmar.


risingbd/Dhaka/Feb 15, 2018/Ali Nowsher/AI