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U.N. Says Muslims Were Massacred in Tense Myanmar Region U.N. Says Muslims Were Massacred in Tense Myanmar Region
(35 minutes later)
HONG KONG — Rampaging mobs in Myanmar killed at least four dozen people, many of them Muslim, earlier this month in the western part of the country, according to a sharply critical report by the United Nations, which called on the government to investigate the violence and punish those responsible. HONG KONG — Symbolically, this is supposed to be an important moment for Myanmar in its transition to democracy. In taking over the annual rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, it is assuming a responsibility that the government considers a prestigious honor. After five decades of military dictatorship, Myanmar is moving on several fronts to shore up the country’s international image, hosting the Southeast Asian Games, a regional sporting event, in December and releasing what it said was the last of its political prisoners.
The Myanmar government has been criticized for its failure to aggressively investigate and prosecute the killings of Muslims since sectarian violence in June 2012 triggered a series of attacks across the country. But human rights groups say that with this latest round of anti-Muslim violence, the government now appears to be trying to cover up the problem. But now the country’s leaders find themselves under an unwelcome spotlight after, United Nations officials say, rampaging mobs in western Myanmar killed at least four dozen people, many of them Muslim, earlier this month in the latest spasm of violence to afflict the area.
The area where the attacks occurred, northern Rakhine State, has been riven by tensions between its Buddhist population and a group of Muslims known as Rohingya, with frequent spasms of violence driving more than 100,000 Rohingya from their homes. The majority of Myanmar’s population is Buddhist, but Muslims outnumber Buddhists along the border with Bangladesh, a demographic trend that is partly behind the tensions. The Myanmar government has been criticized for its failure to aggressively investigate and prosecute the killings of Muslims ever since sectarian violence in June 2012 triggered a series of attacks across the country. But human rights groups say that with this latest round of anti-Muslim violence, the government now appears to be trying to cover up the problem.
The area where the attacks occurred, northern Rakhine State, has been riven by tensions between its Buddhist population and a group of Muslims known as Rohingya, with frequent bursts of violence driving more than 100,000 Rohingya from their homes and leaving at least 200 of them dead. The majority of Myanmar’s population is Buddhist, but Muslims outnumber Buddhists along the border with Bangladesh, a demographic trend that is partly behind the tensions.
Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said Thursday that the latest violence started on Jan. 9 when eight Rohingya Muslim men were killed in Du Chee Yar Tan village, near the border with Bangladesh. Four days later, after the reported kidnapping and killing of a police sergeant, the local police stood by as Buddhists seeking revenge used swords, knives and sticks to attack the Rohingya, killing 40 more men, women and children, officials said.Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said Thursday that the latest violence started on Jan. 9 when eight Rohingya Muslim men were killed in Du Chee Yar Tan village, near the border with Bangladesh. Four days later, after the reported kidnapping and killing of a police sergeant, the local police stood by as Buddhists seeking revenge used swords, knives and sticks to attack the Rohingya, killing 40 more men, women and children, officials said.
The attacks were first reported by The Associated Press, but government officials have denied the accounts of a massacre of Rohingya, with a government spokesman, Ye Htut, saying last week, “We have had no information about killings.” He also has suggested that the claims of violence against the Rohingya were being used to cover up or play down the killing of the police officer. Last week, the government-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar printed an article stating in the headline that The A.P. “falsely reports violence occurred in Rakhine State” and that the agency’s reports “seemed to instigate” the unrest.The attacks were first reported by The Associated Press, but government officials have denied the accounts of a massacre of Rohingya, with a government spokesman, Ye Htut, saying last week, “We have had no information about killings.” He also has suggested that the claims of violence against the Rohingya were being used to cover up or play down the killing of the police officer. Last week, the government-run newspaper The New Light of Myanmar printed an article stating in the headline that The A.P. “falsely reports violence occurred in Rakhine State” and that the agency’s reports “seemed to instigate” the unrest.
The latest violence erupted after monks from a group known as 969, an extremist movement, descended on the area and began giving sermons calling for the expulsion of all the Rohingya, according to accounts from local media.The latest violence erupted after monks from a group known as 969, an extremist movement, descended on the area and began giving sermons calling for the expulsion of all the Rohingya, according to accounts from local media.
Ms. Pillay of the United Nations called for an aggressive investigation of the attacks by Myanmar’s government, urging it “to carry out a full, prompt and impartial investigation and ensure that victims and their families receive justice.”Ms. Pillay of the United Nations called for an aggressive investigation of the attacks by Myanmar’s government, urging it “to carry out a full, prompt and impartial investigation and ensure that victims and their families receive justice.”
“By responding to these incidents quickly and decisively, the government has an opportunity to show transparency and accountability, which will strengthen democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar,” she added.“By responding to these incidents quickly and decisively, the government has an opportunity to show transparency and accountability, which will strengthen democracy and the rule of law in Myanmar,” she added.
The U.N. criticism comes at a sensitive time for Myanmar’s government. This month the country took on the annual rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, a responsibility that the government considers a prestigious honor and an affirmation of its new status as a budding democracy. After five decades of military dictatorship, the government has sought to shore up its international image, hosting in December the Southeast Asian Games, a regional sporting event, and releasing what it said was the last of its political prisoners.
Yet the violence against Muslims has been widely publicized in Muslim countries, including in Indonesia and Malaysia, key members of Asean. The government has sought to play down the issue and announced earlier this month that it would not allow the issue to be put on the agenda during its chairmanship.Yet the violence against Muslims has been widely publicized in Muslim countries, including in Indonesia and Malaysia, key members of Asean. The government has sought to play down the issue and announced earlier this month that it would not allow the issue to be put on the agenda during its chairmanship.
Anti-Muslim feelings run deep in Myanmar, partly because the Rohingya, who number around one million and are the largest Muslim group in the country, are considered illegal immigrants. The Rohingya issue is deeply emotional among the Buddhist-Burmese majority, who link it to the legacy of colonial times when large numbers of Indians were brought into Burma by the British.Anti-Muslim feelings run deep in Myanmar, partly because the Rohingya, who number around one million and are the largest Muslim group in the country, are considered illegal immigrants. The Rohingya issue is deeply emotional among the Buddhist-Burmese majority, who link it to the legacy of colonial times when large numbers of Indians were brought into Burma by the British.
The Myanmar government refuses to use the term Rohingya, preferring to call the group Bengalis.The Myanmar government refuses to use the term Rohingya, preferring to call the group Bengalis.
The group Human Rights Watch said Friday that police officials in Rakhine have issued an order allowing for the arrest of all Rohingya males over the age of 10.The group Human Rights Watch said Friday that police officials in Rakhine have issued an order allowing for the arrest of all Rohingya males over the age of 10.
“In the event such an order has been issued, it should be rescinded immediately and authorities should act to ensure the safety of the entire population in the area,” the group said.“In the event such an order has been issued, it should be rescinded immediately and authorities should act to ensure the safety of the entire population in the area,” the group said.
While President Obama highlighted the plight of the Rohingya during his visit to Myanmar in November, the country’s leading politicians, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Prize-winning rights leader, have largely been quiet on the issue. Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi is considered a potential candidate for president in the 2015 elections.