BROUK Urges support for UN Commission of Inquiry at Socialist International Congress in Columbia

RB News

March 6, 2017

London: The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK President Tun Khin was invited to speak about the plight of the Rohingya people at the Socialist International XXV Congress meeting. At the congress meeting, more than 400 members attended from 86 parties, including the Columbian President Julian Santos. 

BROUK President gave a speech on Rohingya history and current atrocity crimes against the Rohingya in Burma. 

BROUK President stated in his speech that since 9th October, 2016 more than 1000 Rohingyas been killed, at least 400 Rohingya women have been raped by military and security forces, many Rohingya children were reported to have been thrown into fires and burnt alive while Rohingyas’ houses were burnt down and elderly Rohingya men were reportedly burnt alive. Almost 100,000 people have been displaced as a result of the violence and around 73,000 of them had now fled to Bangladesh. Tun Khin relayed how he had recently met with some of the survivors and how they recounted tales of violence and what he described as appalling devastation. 

The UN Office of the High Commissioner published a report in early February which contained details of the most unspeakable acts of cruelty. These findings have also been documented by human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. They have documented unlawful killings, extrajudicial executions, rape, torture, enforced disappearances and mass arrests. The UN has concluded that these crimes very likely amount to Crimes Against Humanity. Organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Fortify Rights have already documented human rights abuses which may constitute Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes Against Humanity. The Special Rapporteur on Burma has also stated that there may be Crimes Against Humanity against the Rohingya. No government has yet supported these statements, but they haven’t publicly disagreed with them either. Privately the British government, the USA, the EU and others know what is being done. 

Tun Khin strongly urged Columbia to support a UN Commission of Inquiry to bring those responsible to justice and to stop further abuses.  He finally said at the congress “I wish to repeat the Rohingyas’ plea to all citizens’ governments around the world. Please help end the slow burning genocide of more than 1 million Rohingya. The Burmese government’s plan is to drive us out of our own ancestral land. If any Rohingya are left standing, they intend to build apartheid against us.”