Accountability is a must to ensure safe and dignified return of Rohingyas who faced serious human right abuse including genocide.
Abolishing of discriminatory laws, creating conducive return for return and preventing crime against Rohingyas will encourage the people to go back their home.
This is the general feeling that was expressed by the members of the UN Security Council when it had special hearing on Myanmar.
The special hearing could take place as nine out of 15 members supported to hold the briefing. Three including China and Russia opposed while three others neither supported nor opposed it.
The United States, the United Kingdom, France, Côte d’Ivoire, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, and Sweden supported to hold the meeting. They supported it as they are working closely to hold the Burmese security forces accountable.
“This, we believe, constitutes the minimum requirement for creating a situation that can be considered favourable to the Rohingya’s sustainable return to Myanmar – and, accountability remains an integral part of it,” said Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the United Nations Masud Bin Momen.
He made the comment while delivering a speech at the special session that started at 1am on Thursday Bangladesh time.
Momen said the council has a responsibility to ‘pre-empt the possible recurrence of such crimes in Myanmar’ and it should adopt a resolution.
“Our highest political leadership had no doubt that the violence and persecution suffered by the Rohingya were tantamount to the gravest crimes under international law.”
Bangladesh would cooperate with the International Criminal Court in pursuance of its jurisdiction on forced deportation of the Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, Momen said.
Giving a horrific account of Rakhine situation, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said, Rohingya ‘women and girls raped. Villages razed. Babies tossed into fires.”
Criticising the countries which opposed holding of the special hearing, she said ‘there are those in this room who have repeatedly attempted to block the Security Council – and the world – from hearing about what is happening to the Rohingya in Burma.”
She vehemently opposed arguments of some members who said openly discussed about the vicious treatment of Rohingya would increase the Burmese people’s resentment of them.
“We do not accept this logic. In fact, not only is it wrong, it’s backward. Time and space alone will not heal the wounds that have been opened in Burma. And covering up the crimes of the Burmese military and security forces will not allow that country to move forward.”
She said the forcible movement of over 700,000 people across borders is undeniably a matter of international peace and security.
“This is not just Bangladesh’s problem. This is the region’s problem. This is our problem – all of us.”
There must be accountability for the crimes of the Burmese military and security forces – crimes that have been thoroughly and credibly documented, she said.
UK Permanent Representative Karen Pierce said national sovereignty is a not a licence to commit crimes against humanity
“The crimes we have heard echo those committed in Rwanda and Srebrenica some twenty years ago. The Security Council acted in those two situations.”
It acted too late to prevent them which is all to our lasting shame but it did act to ensure accountability was brought to bear on those responsible, she said.
Accountability is vital to get justice for the Rohingya and others who have suffered as it is necessary to give the Rohingya confidence that they can return to Myanmar, she added.
“But, fundamentally, it is necessary in order to prevent the Burmese military from committing these same crimes again and again against the people of Myanmar.”