Naypyidaw: Myanmar state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi said on Monday that her country was ready for the return of “verified” Rohingya refugees and sought more cooperation from Bangladesh for the repatriation to begin after delays since early this year. During talks that lasted over an hour with a UN Security Council delegation, she also said violence in the area could recur “any time,” an official release from her office said without further elaboration.
The Security Council team comprising representatives from the five permanent members and 10 non-permanent member states arrived in Naypyidaw on Monday afternoon for a two-day visit to investigate the Rohingya refugee crisis.
Army chief denies rape of Rohingya women
While addressing the UN delegation, Myanmar's army chief denied his forces committed rape and other sexual abuses during a crackdown he ordered on Rohingya Muslims. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing heads an army accused of "ethnic cleansing" by the United Nations, including the widespread rape and murder of civilians in its "clearance operations" ostensibly targeting Rohingya militants.
Launched in August 2017, that campaign drove around 700,000 Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh, fleeing burnt villages and army atrocities. Denied access to Myanmar in the months immediately after the crisis, a UN Security Council delegation is making a belated first visit to Myanmar to ratchet up pressure for a safe and dignified return of the Muslim minority.
"The Tatmadaw (army) is always disciplined... and takes action against anyone who breaks the law," he told the delegates. Rohingya women and girls in Bangladesh have provided consistent accounts of sexual violence but Min Aung Hlaing said his forces have "no such history of sexual abuse."
"It is unacceptable according to the culture and religion of our country," he said, adding anyone found guilty of crimes would be punished. He also repeated the official line that Myanmar was ready to take back the refugees who could be verified as residents as per a repatriation deal with Bangladesh.
Several months after the deal was signed, no refugees have returned. That has enraged Bangladeshi officials, who accuse Myanmar of pretending to co-operate for the benefit of the international community. Calling the refugees "Bengalis" Min Aung Hlaing blamed "terrorists" for causing the violence.
The UN delegates will later travel over the scarred landscape of northern Rakhine state. Their visit to Myanmar comes after an emotionally-charged stay in Bangladesh where Rohingya refugees told delegates of their trauma including sexual abuse.
