Myanmar military court to probe Rohingya atrocity allegations

YANGON: Myanmar’s army said on Monday it had set up a military court to investigate its conduct during a crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority in 2017 that forced more than 730,000 to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.

The court comprising a majorgeneral and two colonels will investigate events in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state in August 2017, the military said in a statement posted on the website of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the army commander-in- chief.

“The information is released that the investigation court was formed with the following persons to further scrutinize and confirm the respective incidents,” the military said.

The court will respond to allegations made by UN and rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accusing security forces of mass killings, rape and arson. Myanmar forces launched their offensive in Rakhine State in response to a series of attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security posts near the Bangladesh border.

A UN fact-finding mission last year said the military campaign was orchestrated with “genocidal intent” and recommended charging Min Aung Hlaing and five other generals with the “gravest crimes under international law”.

Myanmar has denied the accusations of murder, rape and other abuses by its forces though Min Aung Hlaing said last month “a number of security men may have been involved”. — AFP