AFP, Yangon :
A UN probe is calling for six members of Myanmar’s military-including its commander-in-chief-to be investigated for ‘genocide’ against the Rohingya.
A violent army crackdown last year forced more than 700,000 of the Muslim minority over the border into Bangladesh. Here is what we know about those the UN team has singled out as most responsible for the crimes.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is the most powerful man in Myanmar. As well as controlling all branches of Myanmar’s military, he wields significant political might with three ministries-defence, interior and border affairs-reporting to him. Military men also fill a quarter of parliamentary seats, giving the armed forces chief an effective veto over any constitutional changes.
Min Aung Hlaing, 62, was born in Dawei in southern Myanmar but grew up in Yangon.
He ditched his law studies after one year to embrace a military career, rising to the top in 2011 as Myanmar emerged from absolute junta rule.
During the crackdown against the Rohingya, UN investigators say he was “well-informed of real-time developments” with “a full picture of what was transpiring, both on his orders and on his watch”.
Facebook removed his two official accounts last month, alongside 19 other individuals and organisations, to prevent them from using the website to “further inflame ethnic and religious tensions”. Before Min Aung Hlaing’s pages were taken down, they boasted a combined total of about 4.1 million followers. The army chief promptly switched to Russian social media platform VKontakte, but this week his account there was also taken offline.
