Arakan News Agency
The Myanmar government is to set up a “national level committee” to investigate conditions and allegations of abuses amid international pressure from rising violence and a humanitarian crisis in northern Arakan state.
Myanmar’s state counselor and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has faced growing criticism for failing to tackle the violence, as a military campaign targeting the Muslim Rohingya minority has triggered the displacement of tens of thousands.
Zaw Htay, a member of the State Counselors Office Information Committee, told Myanmar media the formation of the new investigative committee was underway.
The committee follows on the Arakan State Advisory Commission, in place since August, under former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, who recently expressed “deep concern” over violence.
Human rights groups allege widespread abuses, including rape by Myanmar forces and the torching of hundreds of homes during the crackdown.
Chris Lewa, a rights activist for the advocacy group the Arakan Project, said the government’s operations, which she described as brutal, have escalated since mid-November. She added a lack of humanitarian access was affecting all communities, especially those in the Maungdaw region, near the Bangladesh border.
“It’s very brutal and the issue [in] that area is access to displaced people and even non-displaced. And it’s not only the poor, it’s everyone because they can’t access markets and they cannot harvest – this is going to lead to a humanitarian disaster,” she said.
