UN Human Rights Council Meeting Pivotal To Address Rohingya Crisis

By Nabilah Saleh and Mohd Faizal Hassan KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- The United Nations Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva next month to discuss issues on Rohingya is timely and would be the decisive platform to put pressure on Myanmar, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Special Envoy for Myanmar, Syed Hamid Albar, said. Numerous demands have been made by the international community to address the deteriorating human rights situation in Rakhine state, he told Bernama, after attending the launch of the Alternatinve Rohingya Integrated School of Excellence (RISE). Syed Hamid pointed to the recent information-gathering visit by UN Special Rapporteur, Yanghee Lee, on the situation of the Rohingya, saying that the need to allow independent investigation teams and commissions to be set up were essential to reveal the real situation affecting the Rohingya Muslims, described as the world's most persecuted minority. "I believe with this kind of pressure, it will be a positive development for Malaysia and neighbouring countries near Myanmar in finding solutions to the ongoing plight. "We need to address the problem. We can't sweep it under the carpet. In this regard, I also hope Malaysia will continue to voice their concern to help this unfortunate community," he said. He added that events in the last few months have shown that the international community must remain vigilant in monitoring the escalating human rights situation, which has also affected the humanitarian access in conflict areas such as in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan. According to international reports, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein had deployed a team of human rights officers to the Bangladeshi border with Myanmar, where an estimated 66,000 Rohingya have fled since Oct 9 last year. It was done after repeated failure of the Myanmar government to grant the UN Human Rights Office unfettered access to the worst-affected areas of northern Rakhine State. The recent visit by Lee was the fifth to the country and her first since the Oct 9 border attacks in Maungdaw, Rakhine. -- BERNAMA