On one hand the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) urged the Myanmar government on Monday to ensure to stop further use of excessive military force in Rakhine State while on the other Myanmar said on Wednesday, the UN Security Council’s statement on the Rohingya refugee crisis could ‘seriously harm’ its talks with Bangladesh over repatriating more than 600,000 Rohingyas.
We are dismayed by the role of China without its support the UN Security Council failed to adopt a unanimous resolution to call upon Myanmar to stop genocide. Instead it issued a statement which lacked the force to create the desired impact on Myanmar military leaders.
Moreover, responding to the UNSC’s statement Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has clearly said that the issues facing Myanmar and Bangladesh could only be resolved bilaterally – a point she says was ignored in the Security Council statement.
We are, like the rest of the world, disappointed with Suu Kyi’s hypocracy in describing the Rohingya crisis as a matter between Bangladesh and Myanmar. It appears Myanmar is clearly attempting to convert the Rohingya crisis into a bilateral issue and deal with it according to its dictatorial and unlawful advantage.
It is clear that by talking about bilateral resolution of the Rohingya crisis she is trying to keep the United Nations and international mediation out of the scene. This is an open attempt to bluff the international community. Myanmar is determined about its policy of ethnic cleansing.
Suu Kyi fears international pressure and involvement of diplomacy that may bring setback to her plan. She fears the passage of a law by US Congress may re-impose some of the sanctions on Myanmar military and other establishments will create pressure on Myanmar for taking urgent steps to back the Rohingyas which Myanmar is determined not to take back. They exploited the weak position of Bangladesh to force the Rohingyas to come to Bangladesh.
