Myanmar told to save Rohingya from killings

THE International Court of Justice has ordered Myanmar to protect its Muslim Rohingya minority from genocidal acts, in a blow to Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s civilian leader.

Yesterday’s ruling was an interim measure intended to protect the Rohingya while a genocide case is brought to the court in The Hague by Gambia.

Thousands of Rohingya died and 700,000 fled to Bangladesh during a brutal Myanmar military campaign in 2017. An estimated 600,000 remain in Rakhine State in western Myanmar under strict curfews that deny them their most basic rights. UN officials fear genocidal actions could recur.

The Myanmar regime has denied accusations of genocide, although it acknowledged “war crimes” had taken place. The government has pledged to investigate and prosecute offending army officers. However, an internal report has been dismissed by Rohingya leaders as a “whitewash.”

Ms Suu Kyi was praised within Myanmar when she appeared in person in The Hague last month to defend her country from the allegations. In yesterday’s Financial Times, she argued the court case was built on the “inaccurate or exaggerated” evidence of refugees.

She said: “The international condemnation has had a negative effect on Myanmar’s endeavours to bring stability and progress to Rakhine… It has presented a distorted picture of Myanmar and affected our bilateral relations.”

The court’s ruling was hailed by human rights groups as an important step toward achieving justice for the Rohingya people. Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International’s regional director, said the decision sent a message to Myanmar’s senior officials “that the world will not tolerate their atrocities, and will not blindly accept their empty rhetoric on the reality in Rakhine State today”.