Nava J Thakuria
Guwahati: Undeterred with intimidations from the military junta, a number of Myanmar civil society organizations has come out with a strong resentment against the UN General Assembly that recently passed a resolution on the human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar as it lacks commitments and also practical and concrete actions to address the protracted displacement of Rohingya
and other ethnic minorities.
“The resolution also does not adequately reflect the deepening political, human rights and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar (also known as Burma),” said the organisations on 26 November 2021, adding that
the draft resolution was jointly tabled by the Member States of Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the European Union (EU) and was approved by consensus.
While the text of draft resolution calls on the Myanmar military junta to end the state of emergency, release arbitrarily detained individuals and heed the UN Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire, it fails to address the most recent systematic attacks against the common people by the military after the coup. It also lacks comprehensive language on holding the military rulers accountable for their grave crimes, added the organisations.
The UN’s continuing lack of commitment and repeated failure to act in response to the Myanmar military’s brutal terrorist acts is a gift to the military junta, commented Daw Khin Ohmar of Progressive Voice, adding that in putting forward a resolution that does not adequately reflect the gravity of the ground situation that deeply affects the Rohingya and their safe return, the outcome fails to give a full
picture of those who have suffered genocide.
“The UN is giving a free pass to the military junta who have committed genocide and continues to commit crimes against humanity across Myanmar, setting out a dangerous precedent to address
accountability as well as peace & security throughout the world. As the action at the UN remains stymied by China & Russia, Member States who are like-minded must immediately step up and impose further
targeted economic sanctions as well as arms embargo,” asserted Ms Ohmar, while speaking to this correspondent from Yangon.
Mentionable is that 427 civil society organizations on 25 October issued an open letter to Member States urging the UNGA to show decisive leadership and present a resolution that would pave the way for concrete actions to address the urgent and deteriorating human rights and humanitarian catastrophe in Myanmar. They called for the inclusion of language on a comprehensive arms embargo which was
missing in the text, despite it being referenced in the 75th session of UNGA resolution on Myanmar.
Ma Wai Wai Nu of Women Peace Network stated that while they appreciate OIC’s continued support for Rohingya, it is disappointing that the UN General resolution does not reflect realities on the ground in
Myanmar with serious international crimes that are being committed with total impunity. The voluntary and dignified return of the Rohingya will not be possible without addressing the current human
rights and humanitarian crisis stemming from the attempted coup by the Myanmar military, she claimed.
“By not taking strong actions to hold the Myanmar military to account for its violence, the UN is allowing rapists who rape pregnant women and children with impunity to get away with and continue such violent
crimes,” asserted Ma Thinzar Shunlei Yi of Action Committee for Democracy Development. She observed that the systematic attacks, torture in detention, rape, mass killings and all other atrocities
committed against the Burmese people are all too familiar to the Rohingya who have had to endure similar crimes.
On the other hand, Human Rights Foundation of Monland leader Nai Aue Mon opined that the junta committed grave crimes against Rohingya and also to other ethnic communities for decades. It is the same military that continues to brutally murder children by using heavy artillery and aerial attacks across Myanmar, while the people remain defiant in their resolve to end the military’s terror once and for all, concluded the Mon leader.
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