We want ‘ clear evidence’ of genocide: Myanmar

Yangon, March 9: Myanmar wants to see clear evidence to support accusations that ethnic cleansing or genocide has been perpetrated against its Muslim minority in Rakhine state, national security adviser Thaung Tun said on Thursday.

“The vast majority of the Muslim community that was living in Rakhine remain,” he told reporters in Geneva. “If it was a genocide, they would all be driven out.”

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled Rakhine into neighbouring Bangladesh since insurgent attacks sparked a security crackdown in August, joining 200,000 refugees from a previous exodus.

On Wednesday, UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al- Hussein said he strongly suspected “acts of genocide”, while Myanmar’s military published a lengthy response to widespread allegations over its campaign in Rakhine, saying its investigations had cleared troops of almost all alleged abuses. Mr Zeid told the UN Human Rights Council that reports of bulldozing of alleged mass graves were a “deliberate attempt by the authorities to destroy evidence of potential international crimes, including possible crimes

We have often heard many accusations that there is ethnic cleansing or even genocide in Myanmar. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — it is not the policy of the government

— Thaung Tun,

Myanmar national security adviser

against humanity”.

Thaung Tun said charges of ethnic cleansing and genocide were very serious and should not be bandied about lightly.

“We have often heard many accusations that there is ethnic cleansing or even genocide in Myanmar. And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — it is not the policy of the government, and this we can assure you. Although there are accusations, we would like to have clear evidence,” he said.