21 May 2019

The UN Fact Finding Mission last week issued a statement urging the international community to financially isolate Myanmar’s military for its involvement in the genocidal campaign against the Rohingya people. It made clear that the Government of Myanmar had made no movement towards genuinely resolving the crisis.

As a group of Rohingya leaders from inside the country, as well as from across the Rohingya and Burmese Muslim diaspora, we fully support the UN Fact Finding Mission’s call for restrictive economic and political measures against the Myanmar military and military-owned companies. 

While we saw encouraging steps from the European Union last year in supporting the need to explore new sanctions against entities in Myanmar, the clear lack of good faith by the regime towards the Rohingya must now pave the way for renewed international pressure. This includes the EU continuing to show leadership through instigating additional sanctions against the military, its most senior leadership, and the military-owned companies which have fuelled the genocidal campaign against the Rohingya and the atrocities which continue to this day. The UN Security Council must also put in place an arms embargo to cut off the flow of weapons. 

The UN Fact Finding Mission’s statement makes clear there can be no excuse for any country to maintain ties with the brutal Tatmadaw military. And international pressure on the military and military-owned companies would be a strong demonstration of resolve to help stem the ongoing crisis facing the Rohingya and other minorities.

Leading Rohingya political activists from inside Burma (names withheld)
Nurul Islam, Chairman, Arakan Rohingya National Organisation
Tun Khin, President, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
Kyaw Win, Executive Director, Burma Human Rights Network