Myanmar: UN probe on human rights lacks credibility

Bangkok, March 13: Myanmar’s government has rejected two reports presented to the UN Human Rights council that concluded it committed extreme human rights violations, probably amounting to crimes under international law, in its repression of several minority groups.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay said reports presented on Tuesday by the Independent FactFinding Mission on Myanmar and Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee lacked credibility. The Fact- Finding Mission said it found evidence of human rights violations against the Kachin, Shan and Rohingya minorities “in all likelihood amounting to crimes under international law.” Mr Lee said violent sweeps by the Myanmar army in Rakhine state “bear the hallmarks of genocide.” Yangon: Facebook said on Tuesday it is “seriously” fighting hate speech in Myanmar, following blistering criticism from UN officials who said the platform had morphed into a “beast” that helps spread vitriol against Rohingya Muslims.

The social media giant has faced mounting pressure to snuff out inflammatory posts aimed at the Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority that the UN says are victims of army- led ethnic cleansing.

While the military campaign launched last August has been castigated abroad, it enjoys broad domestic support in a mainly Buddhist country where Islamophobia has been stewing for years.