Thursday, 28 March 2024, 04:57:28 pm

Suu Kyi appears at ICJ on allegations of country's Army committing genocide against Rohingya
December 11, 2019

Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared at the United Nations International Court of Justice(ICJ) in The Hague on allegations of country's Army committing genocide against the Rohingya minority. 

Addressing a bench of 17 judges from around the world, the 74-year-old Aung San Suu Kyi dismissed reports of state violence against Rohingya Muslims and blamed the conflict on an uprising by separatist insurgents.

She conceded that her country had made some mistakes.

She said Myanmar could have done more to emphasize shared heritage and deeper layers of unity among people of country.

She further said in one counter-terror operation, gunfire from a helicopter may have hit civilians.

Aung San Suu Kyi said it cannot be ruled out that disproportionate force was used by members of the defence services in some cases in disregard of international humanitarian law or that they did not distinguish clearly enough between ARSA fighters and civilians.

More than 730,000 Rohingya fled the coastal state of Rakhine after the military launched crackdown in 2017 and were forced into camps across the border in Bangladesh.

NNR/Zunera