Myanmar army tries to discredit Rohingya abuse confessions
Myanmar's military has sought to undermine the
confessions of two soldiers who said they were ordered to
"exterminate" Rohingya Muslims before taking part in the massacre of
scores of men, women and children.
NGO Fortify Rights and the New York Times on Tuesday
released details of the filmed interviews -- seen by AFP -- of Private Myo Win
Tun, 33, and Private Zaw Naing Tun, 30, in which they described "wiping
out" entire villages.
The soldiers allege they were ordered by senior
commanders to "shoot all that you see and hear" during the military
operations in 2017 that forced some 750,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
Widespread atrocities have been documented by UN
investigators and rights groups in violence that now sees Myanmar facing
charges of genocide, but this is the most detailed account so far given by
alleged perpetrators.
Military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun
admitted to BBC Burmese late Wednesday the men were former soldiers, but
claimed they had been "taken hostage" by the Arakan Army (AA)
militant group and "threatened and coerced into confessing".
The AA is fighting the military in the country's
northwest for more autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.
Both sides frequently trade accusations of human
rights abuses in a civil war raging in the same area where the military
operations against the Rohingya took place three years ago.
The AA dismissed the military's claims, telling AFP
Thursday the two soldiers had deserted.
"They voluntarily confessed about the war
crimes committed by Myanmar's military," AA spokesman Khine Thu Kha said,
adding other defectors had given similar testimonies, which they have posted online
in recent months.
AFP is unable to independently verify the video or
statements, but Fortify Rights said it published its analysis of the
confessions only after being certain they were not made under duress.
The NGO said the men appeared at the
Bangladesh-Myanmar border asking for protection, and have since been taken to
The Hague, where the International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating
atrocities against the Rohingya.
The ICC told AFP the men are not in its custody,
while the prosecutor's office said it was unable to comment to "ensure the
safety and security" of victims and witnesses.
Fortify Rights is calling for the men to be
prosecuted at the ICC, calling this a "monumental moment" in the
Rohingya's ongoing struggle for justice.
Working in different teams in separate townships,
the soldiers confessed to killing up to 180 women, men and children between
them, burying many of the bodies in mass graves.
They gave the names and ranks of 17 other soldiers
they say committed atrocities -- including six senior commanders who ordered
them to "exterminate" all Rohingya.
Myanmar's military has always justified its 2017
operations as a means to root out Rohingya militants after attacks against
around a dozen security posts and police stations.
In parallel to the ICC investigation, Myanmar also
faces genocide charges at the UN's top court, the International Court of
Justice (ICJ).
Civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi led the country's
defence team at preliminary hearings in December, conceding the army might have
used "disproportionate" force, but denying genocide.
The Rohingya are widely seen as illegal immigrants
in Myanmar, denied citizenship and stripped of rights.
The Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human
Rights congratulated the soldiers for "coming forward and beginning to
repair the relationship between Rohingya and Burmese people in Rakhine
state".
Ethnic Rakhine mobs were widely accused of
collaborating with the military to drive the Rohingya out.
But times have now changed and the AA has an
"obvious interest in making the Myanmar military look bad", said
Yangon-based analyst Richard Horsey, adding there were questions about the
group's motives and the credibility of the videos.
"But that doesn't mean the soldiers themselves
can't be credible witnesses or sources of information."
