(23 June 2023)
– The “panel discussion on the measures necessary to find durable solutions to the Rohingya crisis and to end all forms of human rights violations and abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar” was held on 21 June 2023 at the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
– The Permanent Mission of Myanmar wishes to reaffirm the position of Myanmar that Myanmar persistently opposes politically motivated country-specific agenda which includes selectivity, politicization and double standards.
– During the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council, the existence of multiple mechanisms such as draft resolution tabled by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the above-mentioned panel discussion regarding so-called Rohingya crisis are duplicated and irrelevant negatively impacting cost-effective, streamlined work of the Council. Decision to hold a panel discussion at the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council created excessive burden not only to the country-concerned but also to the Council itself losing track of its actual intention of holding the panel.
– Moreover, Myanmar views that the format of the panel discussion and selection of the panellists have already shown the desire of the sponsors of the panel to put pressure on Myanmar highlighting the lack of objectivity and impartiality in the approaches of the OHCHR in assessing the situation in Myanmar.
– Without listening to the country concerned makes it impossible to understand Myanmar’s tremendous efforts for necessary preparations to receive verified returnees including the first batch of repatriation of 1,176 verified displaced persons under the pilot project in line with the bilateral agreements and progress on the ground. Pilot project was not implemented due to various reasons and the two countries have currently been negotiating for the earliest possible date to commence the pilot project.
– On 5 May 2023, the Myanmar side facilitated the Go-and-See Visit for the 28 members Bangladesh team which included 8 officials and 20 representatives of displaced persons, and they had a chance to observe the Hla Phoe Khaung Transit Centre and three villages for resettlement. As the two countries agreed to organize that explanatory visit, a Myanmar team visited Bangladesh on 25 May 2023 and explained the preparations and plans made by the Government of Myanmar to the representatives of prospective returnees. Most of the preparations for the reception and resettlement of displaced persons from Rakhine State have been made by the Government’s own resources. One of the main obstacles to commence the repatriation process is the presence of ARSA terrorists mingling with ordinary displaced persons inside the camps in Cox’s Bazar. They have been threatening the displaced persons not to return otherwise they will be killed even upon their return to Myanmar. In the first three months of 2023, 16 displaced persons were killed for their active role in repatriation process.
– Cyclone Mocha, with an estimated wind speed of 250 kilometers per hour generated 3.5 meters storm surge along the coast of Rakhine which led to severe flooding in and around Sittway especially in low-lying areas on 14 May 2023. Disaster preparedness measures, drills and awareness raising activities, emergency management exercises focused on rehabilitation tasks were continuously carried out 9 days prior to the storm in different townships and villages in respective states and regions.
– Furthermore, the Chairman of the State Disaster Management Committee and the Rakhine State Chief Minister along with the Commander of Western Command directly supervised evacuation measure in 17 townships in Rakhine State including IDP camps since the morning of 12 May 2023. Priority was given to children, elderly persons, persons with disabilities and pregnant women. The remaining people at the camps were evacuated in batches afterwards. Such efforts resulted in the pre-emptive evacuation of around 63,300 people out of around 125,700 IDPs from 17 camps to safer buildings and cyclone shelters. In the cyclone-affected areas, a total of 148 persons had lost their lives.
– A total of 17 townships in Rakhine State and 4 townships in Chin State affected by the extremely severe cyclonic storm Mocha were declared as natural disaster-affected regions under Section 11 of the Natural Disaster Management Law so as to making donations possible to the emergency fund for relief and rehabilitation. At present, international community and the well-wishers expressed their support to humanitarian assistance to meet the priorities and urgent needs of the affected community by the Cyclone. As of 6 June 2023, the accumulated cash donation was reached to 26.009 billion kyats and more than 376,000 USD.
– The government has also been cooperating with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) to meet the priorities and urgent needs of the affected community by the Cyclone.
– Most of the United Nations Agencies including UNDP, UN Women, UNICEF, UNOPS, UNHCR, WFP, IOM, INGOs and NGOs have been operating as the UN agencies and INGOs have maintained their field offices including in Sittway, Ann, Yathaetaung, Maungdaw, Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Mye pon and Minpyar, Rakhine State. From 2021 to 2023, the Rakhine State Government has granted over sixty travel authorizations to WFP and over 80 travel authorizations to INGOs while ICRC was allowed to travel for over 500 times.
– The Panel discussion entitled “Measures necessary to find durable solutions to the Rohingya crisis and to end all forms of human rights violations and abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar” which was held on 21 June 2023 clearly shows the magnitude of the interferences in domestic affairs of a country by the sponsored-countries of the Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/RES/47/1 of 2021 which decides to hold a panel discussion in the first place.
– The said resolution only contained the unfounded allegations and failed to reflect terrorizing acts and terror threats of ARSA which are the actual accounts that led to the displacement of people in Rakhine State to the other side of the border in 2016 and 2017 incidents. Massive attacks of ARSA explains that it aims to call increased attention to international community through narratives of victimhood to claim the wider political agenda and it has become extensive disinformation campaign. Besides, the sufferings of local ethnic people and Hindus inflicted by violent acts of the ARSA terrorists have been ignored.
– Against this backdrop, holding the Panel discussion fails to reflect Myanmar’s sincere cooperation with Bangladesh to repatriate the displaced persons in line with the agreement between the two countries. Therefore, the Permanent Mission of Myanmar objects holding of the country-specific panel discussion as delivering imbalanced opinions with no factual accounts on the ground do not bring any constructive solution.
Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations
GENEVA