Myanmar Permanent Representative delivers statement in response to oral update by High Commissioner for Human Rights and Interactive Dialogue on report of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar

Myanmar Permanent Representative to UN U Kyaw Moe Tun. Photo: MNA

The Permanent Representative U Kyaw Moe Tun made a rebuttal statement in response to the oral update by the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Interactive Dialogue on the report of the Independent Investigative Mechanism (IIM) for Myanmar which was held on September 9-10, 2019 during the ongoing 42nd Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

During the general debate, the Permanent Representative of Myanmar stressed the urgent need for improvement in multilateral cooperation with fair, constructive and practical approaches to achieve human rights for all. He pointed out the importance of adhering to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter as well as the need to avoid taking action against any state for political purpose by breaching the principles of universality, impartiality, non-selectivity, objectivity, and interference in other state’s domestic jurisdiction.

The Permanent Representative informed the Council of overwhelmingly strong objection from the whole spectrum of Myanmar – the government, Chamber of Commerce, private enterprises, UEHRD, Federation of Trade Unions Myanmar – to FFM’s reports and urged the Council “to strike a neutral balance between its obligations and the positions of concerned countries”.

Speaking about Myanmar’s fulfilment of the obligations to the international human rights conventions including recent constructive dialogues with the CEDAW Committee and the CRPD Committee, he informed the Council that Myanmar will ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict and will submit the 3rd national report under the UPR process next year.

He also expressed Myanmar’s strong support for the UPR mechanism. Through UPR, he said, “human rights situation in ALL countries can be reviewed constructively and impartially”. “Every country has human rights and development challenges and Myanmar is no exception”, he added. He called for constructive support from the international community.

At the Interactive dialogue with IIM, Permanent Representative U Kyaw Moe Tun reiterated Myanmar’s firm position, conviction and commitment to human rights and to ridding of double standards, politicization, impartiality and selectivity. He mentioned that Myanmar is “fully aware of the differences between genuine concern for human rights and political drives”.

He reiterated Myanmar’s strong objection to FFM and IIM. He pointed out FFM’s reports as flawed and politically motivated. He said, “It deliberately discounted atrocities committed by ARSA terrorist group who massacred security personnels and hundreds of innocent civilians including a hundred Hindu villagers, other ethnic minorities and pro-government Muslims”.

He pointed out the establishment of IIM as another step of undue pressure and selective discriminatory scrutinization on Myanmar and intrusion on its sovereignty. He expressed concern over the UN’s wasting of more than 26 million US Dollar for 2 years for this mechanism, in the time of scarce resources, to monitor Myanmar whose democratic transition is still very much alive. He said that “without consent of the country concerned”, these intrusive measures, “heaping mechanism upon mechanism” not resolve any issue in Myanmar.

He underscored that Myanmar government does not and will not condone any human rights abuses. “The culture of impunity by policy or by practice is not accepted”, He added. He also apprised the Council of how the government has been addressing accountability issue with its national accountability mechanisms: ICOE; Court of Inquiry. He explained the work of ICOE and its visit to Cox’s Bazar. Myanmar is willing and capable of addressing the issue of accountability for alleged violations and “strongly rejects any mechanism or any attempt to take the matter to any international judicial or legal body unless it is patently clear that national remedies have been exhausted”, he stressed, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. – MNA