Top diplomats, UN official call for independent
investigation into attacks in Muslim area in which some 45 people have died
Top
diplomats and a United Nations official returning from Rakhine State have
called for a credible probe into last month's fatal attacks in the area, along
with allegations that Myanmar soldiers killed and raped Rohingya.
Since
armed individuals killed nine police officers Oct. 9, reporting on the deaths
and a subsequent hunt for the attackers has been called into question, with
accusations levelled that both pro-and anti-Rohingya groups are using the
attacks for political gain.
On
Friday, Renata Lok-Dessallien, the U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator
in Myanmar, told a press briefing in commercial capital Yangon that a probe
independent of political pressure was needed.
“We
are not there to investigate," she said of a UN-led 10-member delegation,
which has been visiting Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships -- two areas that
have been under military lockdown since the attacks.
"The
visit is just the first step towards broader access. For a clear picture of the
situation in the area, we urge the government to launch credible and
independent investigations into the attacks and consequences."
Lok-Dessallien
added that authorities had assured that aid would resume in townships occupied
predominantly by displaced Muslim Rohingya in “one or two days”.
Since
the Oct. 9 attacks -- in which armed individuals also stole weapons and
thousands of rounds of ammunition from on targeted police station outposts -- a
military operation in pursuit of culprits has seen at least 29 suspected
attackers (including two women) killed along with five soldiers.
On
Monday, UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Yanghee Lee said in a statement that
even though a probe has been called for into the violence, the attacks
continue.
“State
Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has rightly called for proper investigations to be
conducted and for no one to be accused until solid evidence is obtained,"
Lee said.
"Instead,
we receive repeated allegations of arbitrary arrests as well as extrajudicial
killings occurring within the context of the security operations conducted by
the authorities in search of the alleged attackers."
On
Thursday evening -- around an hour after the diplomats (from the United States,
United Kingdom, European Union and China) left the area -- a new attack was
reported to have taken place on a police station outpost.
“The
death of 15 government troops is a big problem, and we are concerned about the
attack yesterday,” the EU ambassador to Myanmar, Roland Kobi, said Friday
State-run
newspapers reported that attackers on three motorcycles shot the two guards
with small weapons fire.
“One
police officer died of his wounds and the other one was slightly injured,” the
report said.
The
UN Special Rapporteur has underlined that a major problem in ascertaining the
true picture has been the lack of access for a proper assessment.
"The
blanket security operations have restricted access for humanitarian actors with
concerning consequences for communities’ ability to secure food and conduct
livelihood activities.”
On
Tuesday, the Burma Human Rights Network reported that reports were emerging of
soldiers raping Rohingya women.
"At
least ten cases of rape against Rohingya women have been documented by
civilians in Maungdaw since the army entered the city," Executive Director
Kyaw Win said in a statement.
"These
reports, while difficult to independently verify, contain strong evidence and
beg for further investigation."
On
Thursday, a reporter at Myanmar Times was sacked for an article on the
alleged rapes, citing Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project -- an NGO
that monitors the plight of the Rohingya.
The
deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch suggested government
involvement, calling the dismissal "a new low" in an email to
Anadolu Agency on Friday.
"What
are they trying to hide?" Phil Robertson asked.
"Rather
than trying to shut down reports that it doesn't like, the government should
respect press freedom and permit journalists to do their jobs by investigating
what is really happening on the ground."
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