STATEMENT OF BANGLADESH DELEGATION AT THE GENERAL DISCUSSION/DIALOGUE WITH THE INDEPENDENT INTERNATIONAL FACT-FINDING MISSION ON MYANMAR, MR. MARZUKI DARUSMAN, 23 OCTOBER 2018, UNHQS, NEW YORK
Mr. Chair,
The FFM’s diligent work is manifest from its use of multiple sources to gather evidence, detailed contextual analysis and attention to witness protection.
The conclusion it draws is unambiguous: The Myanmar armed forces has committed atrocities against civilian Rohingya population with ‘genocidal intent’, while crimes against humanity and war crimes took place in Rakhine, Shan and Kachin States.
The FFM Report would remain a critical tool in international community’s efforts against impunity for atrocity crimes.
We thank the HRC for acting on the report, and for its decision on a second iteration of the FFM until the ongoing investigation mechanism it decided to establish comes into effect.
The General Assembly must take cognizance of these developments in clear terms. We urge the Third and Fifth Committees to respond to the Rohingyas’ legitimate aspirations.
We also hope that the Security Council will have an opportunity to hear from the FFM Chair.
The question of accountability is critical for ensuring voluntary and sustainable return of the forcibly displaced Rohingya to their ancestral homes in Rakhine in safety and dignity.
There is every reason for long term reconciliation among communities in Rakhine to ensure an independent and impartial judicial process for prosecuting the crimes.
We still expect that the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Myanmar authorities would be allowed to discharge its responsibilities in a credible manner and make recommendations for a sound judicial process.
In case of continued obstruction to justice, the international community may have to find innovative way to hold the masterminds identified by the FFM report accountable for their crimes.
The international community should also consider FFM’s recommendations for setting up a trust fund for victims, pending a judicial decision for their reparation.
The Rohingya crisis is indeed complex with long historical connotations. But that cannot be a pretext for steering away from addressing its root causes.
The FFM report gives the Myanmar leadership yet another opportunity to reckon with the truth and genuinely commit to mending the fractures running through Myanmar’s fragile democratic polity.
I thank you.