Full Sub-editorial)
Persecution of the Rohingya
Heed UN official's call for COI
The United Nations rapporteur on human rights on Thursday has asked that a Commission of Inquiry (COI) be created to investigate Myanmar's treatment of the Rohingya. The UN official stated that the “systematic, structural, and institutional discrimination in policy, law and practice, as well as the long-standing persecution, against the Rohingya and other minorities in Rakhine State” calls for the COI, which is the highest-level probe body of the UN.
The UN rapporteur last month also pointed out how the government of Myanmar is incapable of carrying out a credible investigation and so it is imperative for the human rights council of the UN to act. Indeed, the plight of the Rohingya has been reported widely enough, but the authorities in Myanmar have either denied or downplayed the extent of the persecution of the Rohingya.
The mounting international pressure calling for an end to the atrocities – which some have termed a genocide – have been largely ignored. The UN official has stressed the episodes of violence in 2012, 2014 and now may “amount to crimes against humanity.” On top of the structural deprivation of human rights through denial of citizenship, horrifying reports of murder, arson and rape have resulted in an influx of the Rohingya community into bordering Bangladesh (more than 69,000 since October, reportedly).
We hope that the UN rapporteur's call to investigate is heeded by the members of the human rights council. It is evident that the Myanmar authorities have failed to ensure the protection of the Rohingya and put an end to these human rights violations. We urge that the UN take a firm and decisive position and put international pressure for an end to the atrocities
