56th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council
Item 2: Interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner’s report on the Human rights situation in Myanmar
Oral statement delivered by Tun Khin
On behalf of Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
18 June 2024
Mr. President,
We welcome the report of the High Commissioner. This debate takes place in a context where the Rohingya are again confronting the dire prospects of genocide and crimes against humanity, reminiscent of the horrors they faced in 2016 and 2017.
Rohingya villages have been forcibly evacuated by the Arakan Army in its escalating war against the military and the attempted coup. Over the last month alone, more than 200,000 Rohingya have been forcibly displaced from the villages under the control of the Arakan Army. At least 1500 Rohingya have reportedly been killed by the Arakan Army since March. Rohingya have been subjected to forced conscription in to both the military and the Arakan Army.
As the High Commissioner’s report suggests, the current moment in Myanmar offers a vision towards a post-coup unified federal democratic Myanmar. However, without urgent international action to hold the military and the Arakan Army accountable, Rohingya will not have a place in that future.
The rhetoric and actions of the Arakan Army, which controls majority of territory in Rakhine State – the Rohingya homeland – clearly demonstrate that they do not consider the Rohingya as part of Myanmar’s future. Once again, Rohingya are subjected to the same hateful, discriminatory and exclusionary narratives and incitement to violence.
Peaceful and democratic Myanmar requires equal recognition of the ethnic nationality status of Rohingya, as well as justice and accountability for the continuing genocide against Rohingya and other atrocities throughout the country through international accountability mechanisms including the International Criminal Court.
We further urge the UN presence near Muangdaw township to take urgent measures to deter imminent forcible displacement Rohingya in the area by the Arakan Army.
Thank you.
