Myanmar army chief defends military crackdown against ‘Bengalis’ in Rakhine

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Myanmar military armed-tanks are driven during a parade to commemorate the Myanmar's 72nd Armed Forces Day. Photo: AP

Published: 3:49pm, 27 Mar 2017Updated: 3:49pm, 27 Mar 2017

Myanmar’s army chief defended a military crackdown in Rakhine State on Monday after the UN pledged to probe claims security forces carried out a campaign of killing and torture against Rohingya Muslims there.

Almost 75,000 people from the persecuted minority have escaped to Bangladesh after the military launched operations in the north of the restive state to find Rohingya militants who raided police border posts in October.

UN investigators believe security forces may have committed crimes against humanity. Last week the UN Human Rights Council agreed to dispatch an independent international fact-finding mission, with a view to “ensuring full accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims”.

Myanmar has long faced criticism for its treatment of the more than one million Rohingya who live in Rakhine State, who are rejected as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh or “Bengalis” despite many living there for generations.

Myanmar's military officers atop trucks loaded with missiles during a parade to commemorate the Myanmar's 72nd Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. Photo: AP

Speaking to crowds assembled in the capital for armed forces day, army chief Min Aung Hlaing on Monday defended the military campaign.

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