Britain to stop training Burmese military until Rohingya crisis is resolved

Smoke rises from burning villages in Burma
Smoke rises from burning villages in Burma Credit: Dar Yasin/AP

Britain will stop training of Burma’s armed forces until Aung San Suu Kyi’s government halts  a campaign of violence against the country’s Muslim Rohingya minority, Theresa May announced.

The move came as Ms Suu Kyi, Burma’s de-facto leader, sought to restore her tarnished reputation and defend her country by claiming that most Rohingya Muslim villages have not been affected by spiraling violence which has forced more than 400,000 refugees to flood across the border.

 "As of today, the Ministry of Defence are saying that there will be no more defence co-operation or training with the Burmese army until we are satisfied that this has been resolved,” Mrs May's spokesman told reporters in New York on Tuesday.

"It is about recognising the seriousness of the situation. We want this situation resolved and until it is this co-operation will cease.

Rohingya Muslim women stretch their arms out to collect sanitary products distributed by aid agencies in Bangladesh, 
Rohingya Muslim women stretch their arms out to collect sanitary products distributed by aid agencies in Bangladesh,  Credit: Dar Yasin/AP

"We have condemned what has been happening right from the outset. There have been repeated statements from the Foreign Secretary and myself. This is a further recognition that we want this situation resolved. What is happening there simply can't continue."

The Ministry of Defence said: “We have decided to suspend the educational courses provided to the Burmese military until there is an acceptable resolution to the current situation."

Britain spent about £305,000 last year on educational programs for the Burmese military on English, democracy, and leadership. The programs do not include combat training.

Britain’s decision to suspend military cooperation came after Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary,  joined representatives of eight other countries to raise the issue with Burma's national security adviser on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The world has watched with growing concern as Rohingya Muslims flee into neighbouring Bangladesh amid claims of rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar’s powerful army in the troubled Rakhine State.

The ‘security offensive’, which was launched after a Rohingya militant group staged a series of attacks against police outposts, was branded a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" by the UN.

Earlier Ms Suu Kyi attempted to defend her handling of the crisis, saying there had been “allegations and counter-allegations” that need to be investigated.

Some 420,000 refugees are now living in makeshift camps in Bangladesh
Some 420,000 refugees are now living in makeshift camps in Bangladesh Credit: Stringer/EPA

In a closely watched televised speech on Tuesday, Mr Suu Kyi said “more than half” of Rohingya villages were not affected by the military response, as she invited diplomats into the Rakhine State to observe the security operation.

"There are allegations and counter allegations and we have to listen to all of them. And we have to make sure these allegations are based on solid evidence before we take action," Ms Suu Kyi said.

 “Human rights violations and all other acts that impair stability and harmony and undermine the rule of law will be addressed in accordance with strict laws and justice," she said. "We feel deeply for the suffering of all the people caught up in the conflict."

James Gomez, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said it was “positive’ to hear Ms Suu Kyi condemn rights abuses.

But the campaigner criticised her for being “silent” on the role of security forces in carrying out ethnic cleansing.

Crowds in Yangon hold the Burmese national flag and placards of Aung San Suu Kyi as they listen to her address on Tuesday
Crowds in Yangon hold the Burmese national flag and placards of Aung San Suu Kyi as they listen to her address on Tuesday Credit:  AUNG KYAW HTET/AFP

“Aung San Suu Kyi today demonstrated that she and her government are still burying their heads in the sand over the horrors unfolding in Rakhine State,” he said. “At times, her speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming.”

Particularly controversial was Ms Suu Kyi’s claim that more than half Rohingya villages are untouched by violence and that there has been no fighting or “clearance operations” in Rakhine state since September 5.

Human Rights Watch on Monday said it had counted 214 villages that have been almost completely destroyed.

Rohingya Muslims walk ashore after arriving on a boat from Myanmar to Bangladesh in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh
Rohingya Muslims walk ashore after arriving on a boat from Myanmar to Bangladesh in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh Credit: Dar Yasin/AP

Flames and plumes of smoke billowing from numerous locations in Burma from the beach at Shahpuri, in southeast Bangladesh, as recently as Friday.

The United Nations said on Monday that 420,000 refugees had arrived in Bangladesh since August 25, accounting for nearly half of the 1.1 million Rohingya who live in Rakhine state.  

It said the flow of refugees has fallen slightly in recent days. It was not immediately clear whether the drop off in arrivals was the result of fewer trying to leave Burma or a stricter policy of control by Bangladeshi border guards.

Additional reporting by Kathleen Prior in Cox's Bazar

 

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