By Emin Avundukluoglu
ANKARA (AA) – The European Rohingya Council (ERC) on Friday said an advisory commission into alleged atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar could not be an alternative to a full UN investigation.
In a statement, the ERC said that it welcomed recommendations made by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s advisory commission on Rakhine State in Myanmar.
However, the statement added the “under no circumstances, must it serve to prevent” an independent UN probe.
The UN’s Human Rights Council on Friday decided to send an independent fact-finding mission to Myanmar to investigate alleged human rights violations in the country, against Rohingya Muslims in particular.
The ERC said the Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State had called for unimpeded access for humanitarian workers and international media to the affected areas.
“Rohingya should be able to live in peace and pursue their livelihood like any other inhabitants of Rakhine State. It is the obligation of the current government to provide safe and security to its people,” it added.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled their homes in Rakhine since October when Myanmar’s military launched a crackdown which has attracted severe international criticism.
Rohingya have fled Rakhine — one of the poorest states in Myanmar — in droves for decades, with a new wave of migration occurring since mid-2012.
This came as communal violence broke out between ethnic Buddhists and the Muslim minority — described by the UN as one of the world’s most persecuted groups.
Security forces have been accused of gang-rape, killings, beatings, disappearances and of burning villages in the Maungdaw area of northern Rakhine.
The ERC said it strongly urges “all 47 members of UNHRC to mandate a UN Commission of Inquiry” to investigate alleged crimes against Rohingya carried out by the military.
