YANGGON- Tatmadaw vows to release results of northern Rakhine court martial
The Tatmadaw (Myanmar’s military) vowed to release all the information about the court martial proceedings on troops accused of violating military regulations in Northern Rakhine operations in 2017, a senior military spokesman said on Thursday.
Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson of Tatmadaw True News Information Team said once the hearing is concluded the results will be released, amid accusations of lack of transparency in the proceedings.
“We will release publicly the results of the hearings after it is concluded,” he said in a statement.
He added that the details about the soldiers undergoing the court martial proceedings will be released only after the court has made its decision on the case.
A group of Northern Rakhine refugees participate in a protest on a road in Teknuf, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh in August 2018. Photo: EPA.
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“Tatmadaw is taking action with full responsibility and accountability,” Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun said. “We will announce all the results that we have found on the hearing.”
The proceedings against the accused soldiers are being held at a local Tatmadaw regiment in Buthidaung Township.
Human rights activists criticised the proceedings as lacking in transparency as the public is not allowed to attend the hearing.
In September last year, a Court of Inquiry, chaired by Major General Myat Kyaw and established in accordance with the Defence Services Act and the Defence Services Rules, submitted its findings that some incidents that happened in Gu Dar Pyin village in Buthidaung Township should be tried by court martial.
The incident is related to the military operation against the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in 2017.
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U Aye Lwin, a former member of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, said the reports of the ongoing court martial and the Independent Commission of Enquiry needs to be credible to convince the international community who are very critical of the actions of Myanmar government troops in northern Rakhine.
“All depends on how much is the credibility of the reports,” he said. “If the reports are viewed as a cover-up, it’s not good for the country,” said U Aye Lwin.
International aid agencies estimate that over 700,000 Northern Rakhine Muslim minorities have fled to Bangladesh since August 25, 2017, when ARSA launched deadly attacks on security outposts in the area and the Tatmadaw responded with a massive military crackdown./
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