Myanmar’s state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday defended the Myanmar government against the allegations of the genocide of Rohingyas at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague.
She called the allegations as an incomplete and misleading factual picture of the situation in Rakhine state. She said that Myanmar’s security forces responded to the attacks by the insurgent group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in October 2016 leading to the death of nine police officers and hundreds of civilians. This armed conflict led to the exodus of Muslims from Rakhine into Bangladesh.
In her 25-minute long defence Aung San Suu Kyi said that Myanmar will not tolerate any human rights violation and the government is working to fix the domestic accountability.
She conceded that in some cases the armed forces may have used disproportionate force violating international humanitarian law and civilians suffered in the conflict. However, she said that Myanmar’s own judicial system was investigating any possible crimes and reach its own conclusion.
The ICJ is hearing the case filed by Gambia on behalf of the OIC accusing Myanmar of genocide and calling for provisional measures against Myanmar to protect further persecution of the Rohingyas.
The hearing started on Tuesday with Gambia presenting its case. It will conclude on Thursday when both the countries will get a chance to present their points in the second round of hearing.
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