MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Rohingya Minority in Myanmar

13.12.2016 - (2016/3027(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 135 of the Rules of Procedure

Barbara Lochbihler, Heidi Hautala, Bodil Valero, Ernest Urtasun, Igor Šoltes, Michèle Rivasi on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-1345/2016

B8‑1352/2016

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Rohingya Minority in Myanmar

(2016/3027(RSP))

The European Parliament,

Having regard to its previous resolutions and notably the one of 7 July 2016,

 

Having regard to the statement by the Spokesperson of the EU External Action Service on the recent escalation of violence in Myanmar of 5 December 2016

 

Having regard to the Joint Press Release of the 3rd Myanmar-EU Human Rights Dialogue of 25 November 2016

 

- Having regard to the UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, and the UN Guidance on Commissions of Inquiry and Fact-Finding Missions

 

- Having regard to the ASEAN Charter

 

- Having regard to Rules 135(5) and 123(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

 

A. Whereas Human Rights Watch has published satellite images documenting that since 9 November some 1250 buildings have been destroyed in northern Rakhine State confirming that the destruction in Rohingya villages is far greater and in more places than the government has been admitting;

 

B. Whereas the crisis followed the violent event on October 9, in which gunmen attacked three police outposts in Maungdaw township near the Bangladesh border, leaving nine police officers dead;

 

C. Whereas the Burmese government asserts the attack was carried out by a Rohingya Islamist militant group 'Aqa Mul Mujahideen', but actual responsibility remains to be established;

 

D. Whereas a second attack on a border guard post that resulted in the death of a police officer reportedly occurred on November 3;

 

E. Whereas immediately after the October 9 attack, government forces declared Maungdaw district an “operation zone” and began sweeps of the area to find the attackers, severely restricted the freedom of movement of local populations and imposed extended curfews, which remain in place;

 

F. Whereas while the area is sealed off to observers, local sources and victims reported that government forces committed serious human rights violations, including torture, rape, extrajudicial executions, and widespread destruction of buildings, including mosques.

 

G. Whereas the Burmese government conducted a government-supervised tour of some impacted sites in Maungdaw on November 2 and 3 with a nine-member delegation of foreign ambassadors, including the UN Resident Coordinator, which confirmed that they saw burned structures in several towns;

 

H. Whereas allegations of reprisals against those who spoke to delegation members surfaced shortly after the trip concluded;

 

I. Whereas another outbreak of violence reportedly began on November 11 in which the government reported the deaths of 69 alleged militants and 17 security force personnel, while reports about significant civilian casualties cannot be verified due to lack of access; whereas afterwards the military escalated attacks against Rohingya villages;

 

J. Whereas according to humanitarian aid groups, tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the recent violence, with over 20 000 fleeing to Bangladesh and many more to neighbouring ASEAN countries;

 

K. Whereas the government has responded with blanket denials to allegations that the security forces have committed abuses; whereas Aung Win, the Burmese official tasked with investigating the 9 October attacks on the border guards, has denied reports of atrocities by the army and has reportedly argued that Burmese soldiers would not have raped Rohingya women because they “are very dirty”;

 

L. Whereas Aung San Suu Kyi has announced in a meeting with UN Special Rapporteur on Human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, that the word Rohingya will not be used by the government – in continuation of the practiced policy under the military dictatorship - as it is considered inflammatory as well as the word ‘Bengali’ and is instead suggesting a new term 'Muslim community in Rakhine state'; whereas the Arakan National Party, representing the hardline Rakhine Buddhists, rejected the new term, accusing the government of indirectly accepting that the Rohingya are natives of Rakhine state, which the ANP rejects and whereas in recent days thousands took to the streets in protest against the government;

 

M. Whereas the authorities continue to block journalists, humanitarian aid workers, and human rights investigators from traveling to the impacted areas;

 

N. Whereas the Government of Myanmar has established a Commission of inquiry into the recent violence in Rakhine State, chaired by Kofi Annan;

 

O. Whereas Bangladesh who is already hosting an estimated 230 000 Rohingya refugees, has reinforced its border guards and has deployed cost guard ships to try to prevent an additional influx of refugees while reports increase of refugees who drown while trying to reach Bangladesh via river or sea;

 

P. Whereas Burma is obligated under international law to conduct thorough, prompt, and impartial investigations of alleged human rights violations, prosecute those responsible, and provide adequate redress for victims of violations;

 

1.Strongly condemns the reported and documented massive human rights violations against the Muslim Rohingya minority, perpetrated by the Burmese army and seemingly tolerated by a large part of the Arakan Buddhist population in Rakhin State, which might fulfil the criteria of ethnic cleansing;

 

2.Calls on the authorities to immediately allow humanitarian aid from international and domestic sources to areas where conflict and displacement are making thousands vulnerable, including Rakhine State;

 

3.Insists that members of the security forces should immediately cease violations of international human rights and humanitarian law;

 

4.Urges the authorities to permit outside observers, including United Nations agencies, foreign diplomats, nongovernmental human rights organizations, and the media unhindered and unaccompanied access to areas of conflict, including the area around Maungdaw;

 

5. Re-iterates it's longstanding concern about the discrimination against the Rohingya, the removal of citizenship and denial of government services, including education and health;

 

6.Appeals to the authorities to urgently allow the United Nations to assist in investigating recent events in Rakhine State’s Maungdaw district, notably the widespread destruction of villages;

 

7.Welcomes the setting up of the Inquiry Committee with UN participation by the Government of Myanmar and underlines that there should be no retribution or retaliation against anyone who speaks to or otherwise communicates with UN personnel;

 

8.Urges to appropriately prosecute those found responsible for violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and provide adequate redress for victims of violations;

 

9.Calls on the government to take the necessary measures to ensure that the military abides by the laws of war while engaged in armed conflict against ethnic armed groups and to invite the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to open an office with a full mandate and adequate staff;

 

10.Expresses appreciation for Bangladesh's contribution to accommodating hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas fleeing persecution, but appeals to the government to keep its border open to civilians fleeing the actual violence;

 

11.Underlines that the EU has been the main international donor to support the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar a well as the surrounding population over the years, but expresses its concern over the majority of refugees in precarious makeshift camps with additional waves of new arrivals and calls on the European Commission and other international donors to increase their efforts;

 

12.Calls the Commission to take the human rights situation into account in the negotiation process on the Investment Protection Agreement with Myanmar and considers that a need for human rights safeguards is pertinent;

 

13.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Government and Parliament of Myanmar and Bangladesh, the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Human Rights Council and the governments and parliaments of other states in the region.

 

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