Myanmar: United Nations Monitor
/- How did the UN Security Council respond to the violence in Myanmar?
- What do you think the international response to the violence in Myanmar should have been?
António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, said that the escalation of the crisis in northern Rakhine state demanded action. [...] “The situation has spiralled into the world’s fastest-developing refugee emergency and a humanitarian and human rights nightmare,” he said, calling on the Myanmar authorities to take immediate steps to end the military operations, allow unfettered access for humanitarian support, and ensure the safe, voluntary, and sustainable return of the refugees to their homes. [...]
The Myanmar authorities must fulfil their fundamental obligation of ensuring the safety and security of all communities and upholding the rule of law without discrimination, he stressed. United Nations agencies and non-governmental partners must be granted immediate and safe access to all affected communities, he said, expressing concern about the current climate of antagonism towards the United Nations. [...]
Jonathan Guy Allen (United Kingdom) said that the world had watched in horror at the violence that had erupted over the last month. By now, all had seen reports of the extrajudicial killings, burnings of villages and the placement of landmines. Most of the victims were Rohingya Muslims, although others were also being affected. [...] It was becoming increasingly clear that world opinion was aligning on the issue, and it now fell to Myanmar, and its military to respond. The military bore the primary responsibility for resolving the crisis, he said, adding: “There is a way out.” [...]
If the leaders did not take the necessary steps, they would find themselves on the wrong side of history and the Council must be ready to act.
Nikki Haley (United States) said that for the last four weeks, the world had witnessed images from Myanmar of suffering that no one should be forced to endure. [...] The international community could not be afraid to call the actions of the Myanmar authorities exactly what they were — a brutal, sustained campaign to cleanse the country of an ethnic minority. Such a brutal assault did not advance justice, but rather put it further from reach. [...]
What was most frustrating about the conflict was “how we should have seen it coming”, she said.
Fodé Seck (Senegal) [...] strongly condemned the violence and urged Myanmar to put an end to the human tragedy. The involvement of Bangladesh and Myanmar in today’s meeting was a testament to the transparency of discussions. “We now know much more about the deep-seeded causes of the conflict,” he continued. [...]
Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta (Egypt) said that hundreds of thousands of innocent souls had been killed or persecuted and regional security dangerous[ly] threatened, creating a heavy burden on neighboring countries. The issue was humanitarian at heart, based on the principle of acceptance of others and coexistence with people of different beliefs and religions. Hate speech, violence or threat of use of violence could not be accepted and must be rejected, whether perpetrated by a party or Government institutions. [...] Egypt’s position that the Rohingya had a right to life did not mean that it supported violence of any related groups. “But it is important to ask: What choice are we leaving to these people, other than taking up arms to defend themselves?” [...]
François Delattre (France) said that ethnic cleaning was currently underway in the west of Myanmar and that 500,000 Rohingya, mostly women and children, had fled to Bangladesh in the last month. The incitement to hatred and violence against the Rohingya existed in Myanmar today, he said, warning that public discourse and other stigma could lead to even worse atrocities. The Security Council had the responsibility of standing united and acting to break the negative spiral. Immediate efforts must concentrate on putting an end to the violence. The security forces in Myanmar must ensure protection for all, without discrimination. [...]
Wu Haitao (China) said that order must prevail as soon as possible and that unity among different people must be restored. Antagonism had been building for a long time, he said, noting that a series of steps had been taken to ease the situation in Rakhine state. The international community must view the difficulties and challenges facing the Myanmar Government through an objective lens. The international community must support dialogue between Bangladesh and Myanmar so that they could properly address the mass exodus of the Muslim population. As a friendly neighbour to both countries, China had provided necessary assistance for accommodating the displaced. The situation on the ground was moving towards stability, he added.
Vassily A. Nebenzia (Russian Federation) said that the situation was far from being resolved. According to reports, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army was guilty of killing civilians and the extremists had forced members of the Hindu communities to leave their homes and migrate with Muslims to Bangladesh. He noted the efforts of the Government of Myanmar to resolve the situation in Rakhine state and repatriate refugees from Bangladesh. He commended the efforts of Bangladesh and expressed hope that the international community would provide sizeable support to resolve the humanitarian crisis. The situation could only be resolved through dialogue among people of all nationalities and faiths. The international community must be very careful before labelling something genocide and ethnic cleansing, he continued, calling for violence and violent rhetoric from any sides to end.
Sebastiano Cardi (Italy) expressed concern about the appalling increase in the number of refugees over the past month. It was the Security Council’s responsibility to urgently address the situation and send a strong, unified and constructive message in line with the priorities outlined by the Secretary-General. The violence must end immediately, and in that context, he called on the authorities to stop the attacks against civilians and stressed the need for the security response to fully respect international humanitarian and international human rights law. Attacks against the Rohingya were a matter of grave concern and could not be tolerated. [...]
Volodymyr Yelchenko (Ukraine) said that any targeting of civilians was totally unacceptable and impunity for perpetrators could not be tolerated. His delegation was particularly concerned about allegations of human rights violations having taken place during recent military operations in the province. [...] Given the dire nature of the situation, the least the Government could do would be to halt all military operations in Rakhine. [...] Concrete steps were urgently needed, as what was doable and within reach today may not be available tomorrow. It was not too late to deliver, although it was imperative that the Council be more proactive to ensure the violence was stopped. “Nobody around this table wants to see the worst-case scenario,” he said. [...]
Mr. Zambrana (Bolivia) condemned all action that exacerbated tensions and incited violence and said all such acts must be duly investigated. The Rohingya were victims but others, including Hindus, were as well. While upholding the United Nations Charter and international law, it was also important to stand by the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of States. Dialogue, consultation, mediation and negotiation were essential to resolve the crisis. [...]
Tekeda Alemu (Ethiopia), Council President for September, said the situation in Myanmar was deeply worrying as it could have serious regional implications if not handled quickly and carefully. [...] Any acts of extreme violence were unjustifiable. The Government of Bangladesh was “already telling us” that the humanitarian situation had become grave, he continued, urging the end of military operations. He stressed the need to ensure an acceptable level of mutual trust between the Myanmar Government and the United Nations. The role of diplomacy must never be overlooked. [...]
U Thaung Tun, National Security Adviser of Myanmar, said that assertions in the media that a campaign of terror had been unleashed in northern Rakhine and that unspeakable crimes had been committed against innocent people only served to heighten the concern of the international community. “While such assertions may appear reasonable at first glance to a lay observer, experts with knowledge of the history of Myanmar and exposure to the propaganda tactics of terrorists will see such comments for what they were — malicious and unsubstantiated chatter.” Nevertheless, his Government understood the concern of the international community and took serious note of it.
The Government recognized there was a serious problem that needed to be addressed, he said. The recent violence was triggered by the attacks carried out by the so-called Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army terrorist group. His country was committed to a sustainable solution that would lead to peace, stability, development and the return of displaced communities to their homes. The Government had strongly condemned the acts of terror committed by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army in northern Rakhine and would work to ensure that the fight against terrorism would not distract from the commitment to bring peace, harmony and development to Rakhine. [...]
He stressed that there was no ethnic cleansing and genocide in Myanmar. “It would be a sad commentary of our times if we allowed emotions to cloud our view and assert that what is happening in Rakhine is ethnic cleansing without first undertaking a legal review and making a judicial determination,” he underscored. The leaders of Myanmar, who had been struggling for so long for freedom and human rights, would never espouse a policy of genocide or ethnic cleansing, and the Government would do everything to prevent it. [...]
Masud Bin Momen (Bangladesh) said that since 25 August, nearly 500,000 people had entered Bangladesh, fleeing violence in northern Rakhine state. Despite serious constraints, Bangladesh had given shelter to those distressed Rohingyas, most of whom were women and children. [...] With the influx of arrivals, Bangladesh was currently hosting more than 900,000 forcibly displaced Rohingyas, he said, warning: “This is an untenable situation, to say the least.”
Despite claims to the contrary, violence had not ceased in northern Rakhine state, nor had the exodus of Rohingyas to Bangladesh, he said. A day ago, an additional 20,000 entered into Bangladesh. The new arrivals described the use of rape as a weapon to scare families into leaving. The indiscriminate killing and torture by the Myanmar security forces, aided by vigilante groups with religious and ethnic affiliation, had already been cited as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The remaining Rohingya civilians in northern Rakhine state must be guaranteed unconditional protection through the creation of a United Nations-administered “safe zone” inside Myanmar. Humanitarian assistance must reach affected communities. [...]