The Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar Defence Services who is currently visiting India should be brought to justice for his role behind the genocide of the Rohingya, a leading member of the ruling coalition of Bangladesh has stated. Hasanul Haq Inu, a member of the Sheikh Hasina-led ruling combine in Dhaka, said that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is internationally blamed for his role in the Rohingya tragedy.
“General Min Aung Hlaing has been named by the UN for being the power behind the genocide and displacement of the Rohingyas from Myanmar. He should be brought to the altar of justice,” the Bangladeshi leader told The Hindu on phone from Dhaka.
The senior Myanmar figure is currently on a tour of India and held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the Indian side discussed military-to-military, counter-insurgency capacity-building with him.
The visit drew attention of rights activists who pointed out that the UN Human Rights Council has called for investigation and prosecution of General Min Aung Hlaing for crime against humanity. The 440-page report by the office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights pointed at the general’s role in the military campaign in the Rakhine province that led to the death of unknown number of Rohingya individuals and displacement of 1.2 million members of the community who are currently in Bangladeshi shelters near Chittagong. The report recounted the military campaign included cases of planned mass murders of the Rohingya community members.
In a 2018 report, Amnesty International had also called for bringing General Min Aung Hlaing to justice for his role in the the violence that targeted the Rohingyas.
Mr. Inu, who is a former information minister, said that hosting of the general does not give a “favourable” impression of India which he described as a “great democracy”. “We demand trial of the persons behind the genocide of the Rohingya people and repatriation of the community to the Rakhine state of Myanmar,” Mr. Inu said.
Published - July 31, 2019 02:45 am IST
