Malaysia calls on UN to act on Rohingya atrocities

Malaysia called on the United Nations Security Council to establish an international judicial mechanism to try those responsible for crimes against Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar, local media reported.

Kennedy Jawan, Malaysian Foreign Ministry multilateral affairs deputy secretary-general, has voiced his concern to the international community over the atrocities against Rohingya in Myanmar, local daily Malay Mail said in a report.

Referring to the international laws, Jawan noted that the Myanmar government has a basic responsibility to act against crimes committed on minorities in the country.

“All of us should, therefore, use our leverage to urge Myanmar’s Independent Commission on Enquiry on Rakhine State to bring all perpetrators of gross human rights violations to justice,” said Jawan, quoted in the daily.

“To that end, the international community cannot, and should not, stand idle as we witness the human catastrophe which has besieged the Rohingya unfold before our very own eyes,” he added.

- Rohingya Persecution

Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).

More than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten, said the OIDA report, entitled "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold Experience".

Some 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police, and over 115,000 Rohingya houses were burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it added.

According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly children and women, fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.