Wednesday August 29, 2018
A
Myanmar government spokesman on Wednesday rejected a report by United
Nations investigators that called for top generals to be prosecuted for
genocide, saying the international community was making "false
allegations".
His comments came a day after the U.N report, which marked the first
time the organization has explicitly called for Myanmar officials to
face genocide charges over a brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims last
year.
"Our stance is clear and I want to say sharply that we don't accept
any resolutions conducted by the Human Rights Council," Zaw Htay, the
main government spokesman, said in an interview published in state
media.
Myanmar did not allow U.N investigators to enter the country, he said.
"That's why we don't agree and accept any resolutions made by the Human
Rights Council."
He added that the country has "zero tolerance to any human rights
violation" and had set up a Commission of Enquiry to respond to "false
allegations" made by the U.N and "other international communities".
Authorities earlier this year set up a panel comprised of two local
and two international members – Filipino diplomat Rosario Manalo and
Kenzo Oshima, Japan's former ambassador to the U.N - to investigate
human rights abuses.
Myanmar has denied most of the allegations, saying the military
responded to a legitimate threat from Rohingya militants, who attacked
police posts across the western Rakhine state.
"If there is any case against human rights, just give us strong
evidence, record and date so that we can take legal action against those
who break the rules and regulations," Zaw Htay said.
The same day as the U.N released its report, Facebook shut down the
account of army general Min Aung Hlaing and other top military
officials, accusing them of using its platform to spread "hate and
misinformation".
In the interview published on Tuesday, Zaw Htay said the government
had not ordered the ban and was questioning Facebook about the action,
saying it had caused "mounting criticism and fear among the people".
Myanmar's civilian government shares power with the military, which
controls key ministries including home affairs and immigration.