Burmese military court to probe Rohingya atrocity allegations

Reuters

Burma’s army said in mid-March 2019 that it had established a military court to investigate its conduct during a crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority in 2017 that forced more than 730,000 to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.

The court, comprising a major-general and two colonels, will investigate events in western Burma’s Rakhine State in August 2017, the military said in a statement posted on the website of Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the army commander in chief.

“The information is released that the investigation court was formed with the following persons to further scrutinize and confirm the respective incidents,” the military said.

The court will respond to allegations made by the United Nations and rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accusing security forces of mass killings, rape and arson.

Burmese forces launched their offensive in Rakhine State in response to a series of attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security posts near the Bangladesh border.

A 2018 U.N. fact-finding mission said the military campaign was orchestrated with “genocidal intent” and recommended charging Min Aung Hlaing, pictured, and five other generals with the “gravest crimes under international law.”

Burma has denied the accusations of murder, rape and other abuses by its forces, though Min Aung Hlaing said in February 2019 that “a number of security men may have been involved.”

A previous military investigation in 2017 exonerated the security forces of any crimes.

The new court is “another bad faith maneuver” to fend off international pressure, said Nicholas Bequelin, Southeast Asia and Pacific director of Amnesty International.

“The military stands accused of the gravest crimes under international law and has shown no sign of reform,” he said.

“The idea that the Tatmadaw could investigate itself and ensure justice and accountability is both dangerous and delusional,” Bequelin added, referring to the army.

The military information unit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Burma is facing growing international calls for accountability over the Rakhine campaign.

The International Criminal Court has opened a preliminary examination into the violence, while a commission of inquiry formed by Burma and including Filipino diplomat Rosario Manalo and Kenzo Oshima, Japan’s former ambassador to the U.N., is due to publish its findings this year.

The creation of the military court was based on assessments and suggestions from the military-appointed judge advocate-general, as well the allegations contained in human rights reports, according to the army statement.