Myanmar: Civil Society Calls For International Investigation In Rakhine State

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- More than 40 Myanmar-based civil society organisations Wednesday called for a "truly independent" international investigation into the situation in Rakhine State, where state-sponsored attacks against Rohingya Muslim civilians have escalated in recent months. The organisations recommended the establishment of a commission of inquiry to fully assess the totality of the situation in Rakhine State and provide clear recommendations for the current government to effectively address and prevent further problems. "This initiative is important for the entire country. It's time for the government to get on board and support the establishment of an impartial and independent inquiry," said chief executive officer at Fortify Rights, Matthew Smith, in a statement. Fortify Rights is a non-profit human rights organisation based in Southeast Asia. The statement comes a day before Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), an intergovernmental body of 57 member states, meet in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the situation of Rohingya in Rakhine State. The call for an international commission of inquiry also gained momentum in Myanmar following the recent publication of the preliminary findings of an investigation led by Vice President Myint Swe, a former military general and known "hardliner", into the situation in northern Rakhine State. According to Fortify Rights the government established the commission after militants attacked three police outposts, killing nine and prompting the Myanmar military to initiate an indiscriminate "clearance operation." "In three months, we've seen the formation of an advisory commission, a whitewash commission, and a discriminatory commission. None of these bodies are conducting a serious, impartial investigation into ongoing human rights violations," Smith said. He stressed that the international community needed to wake up to the fact that domestic remedies have been exhausted and the situation of the Rohingya is worsening by the day. According to Fortify Rights a UN-mandated investigation in Rakhine State could objectively evaluate the facts, identify perpetrators, and provide clear recommendations for action. Potential commissioners could include professional investigators, legal practitioners, forensics experts, and gender specialists from Asian countries and internationally, it said. It recommends that such a commission also conduct fact-finding outside Myanmar, in countries such as Bangladesh and Malaysia, to ensure a complete and comprehensive investigation into abuses that took place in Rakhine State. "If there were ever a situation in which an independent investigation is needed, it's now in Rakhine State. The international community has an opportunity to take up the call of Myanmar civil society, and it should act without delay," Smith said. On Jan 3, state-run media published the interim findings of the government-appointed 13-member commission led by Myint Swe, which reported no human rights violations and denied allegations of the crime of genocide. The commission cited the presence of "the Bengali population" as well as religious leaders and mosques as "proof that there were no cases of genocide and religious persecution in the region." -- BERNAMA