Refugee rights Asia

Myanmar: New president must do more to hold perpetrators to account

KUTUPALONG, BANGLADESH - SEPTEMBER 17: Rohingya wait in line for badly needed aid handouts September 17, 2017 in Kutupalong, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Over 400,000 Rohingya refugees have fled into Bangladesh since late August during the outbreak of violence in the Rakhine state. Recent satellite images released by Amnesty International provided evidence that security forces were trying to push the minority Muslim group out of the country. Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi cancelled her trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which begins next week, while criticism of her handling of the Rohingya crisis grows and her government has been accused of ethnic cleansing. According to reports, the Rohingya crisis has left at least 1,000 people dead, including children and infants. Dozens of Rohingya Muslims drowned when their Ill-equipped, overloaded boat capsized in rough waters. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Responding to the appointment of Win Myint as the new President of Myanmar, James Gomez, Amnesty International’s Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said:

“The Myanmar authorities should use the appointment of a new President as an opportunity to step back from the brink. We’ve seen a dramatic deterioration in the human rights situation in the last year, most especially for the Rohingya community, who have been targeted in a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing involving crimes against humanity.

“While the military still wields considerable power, the civilian-led government must do more to end discrimination and ensure that perpetrators of human rights violations are held to account.”

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