ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION
ARAKAN, BURMA
Press Release
(19 August 2010)
ARNO welcomes US support for UN Commission of Inquiry on Burma
Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) welcomes the decision of the United States to support for a United Nations Commission of Inquiry to investigate into war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma. The USA became the 5th nations to support the proposal of UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Tomas Ojea Quintana to consider establishing a UN Commission of Inquiry on Burma. Australia, United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are the four other countries that already had expressed their support for the proposal.
Burma, which has been ruled by highly oppressive military regime since 1962, has one of the worst of human rights records in the world. The ruling military State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) perpetrated serious human rights violations across the country that amount to crimes against humanity. They include rape, killings, torture, forced labour, forced relocation, forcible recruitment of child soldiers, destruction of villages and expulsion of people from their heart and home and other inhuman acts. These human rights violations and abuses are systematic and widespread in ethnic areas particularly in the eastern Burma and northern Arakan State.
From last twenty years United Nations General Assembly has adopted numerous resolutions on Burma urging the ruling military dictatorship to end its human rights violations and to respect the international humanitarian law, but to no effect. It is time now for the United Nations to act, and to initiate change rather than reacting to events in Burma.
We urge upon European Union to support the proposal and to include an International Commission of Inquiry in the draft resolutions on Burma for UN general Assembly in September. Meanwhile, we are encouraged by the support of the European Parliamentary Caucus on Burma (EPCB), representing 15 European countries, calling on EU member states to officially support the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry on Burma.
We also urge upon Canada and international community to support the proposal and to build support in the General Assembly for a Commission of Inquiry.
For further information, please contact:
Nurul Isam: + 44 07947854652
AFK Jilani: + 880 1674811079
Email: info@rohingya.org