Arakan News Agency
Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations has denied there was “concrete evidence” to prove the abuse of the country’s Rohingya minority, criticising UN members for pressuring Myanmar to end the violence.
“This pattern of exerting undue political pressure and coercive measures will not bring any positive result,” said Ambassador Hau Do Suan on Tuesday, following a speech by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
“The words ‘ethnic cleansing’ and ‘crimes against humanity’ should not be used lightly, without concrete evidence and final legal determination,” he added.
The UN contends that Myanmar’s armed forces are systematically employing rape as a tool of terror aimed at exterminating the Rohingya people, demanding an immediate end to violations against the civilian population in Arakan State.
In the same meeting, Bangladesh’s ambassador to the UN, Masud Bin Momen told delegates that the refugee crisis in his country was worsening, with between 100 and 400 Rohingya refugees crossing into its territory from Myanmar each day. The UN has called the Rohingya the most persecuted minority on earth, with Myanmar denying them citizenship and basic rights.
Since August 25, it says the number of refugees fleeing to Bangladesh from neighbouring Myanmar has exceeded 626,000.
