MEDIA STATEMENT
25 August 2024
Myanmar Campaign Network Statement on the Seventh Anniversary of the Rohingya Genocide
Myanmar Campaign Network (MCN) stands in solidarity with the Rohingya community on the seventh anniversary of the Rohingya Genocide, and calls on the Australian Government to take immediate action on the situation in Myanmar to prevent further atrocities in Myanmar.
Today marks seven years since the Myanmar military began its brutal campaign against the Rohingya on 25 August 2017. The Rohingya people have endured decades of systemic violence, discrimination and persecution, and this violence continues with ongoing assaults by the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) in Rakhine State, Myanmar.
The brutal clearance operations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in 2016 and 2017 forced over 730,000 Rohingya to flee violence and persecution, seeking refuge in Bangladesh. The Myanmar military’s actions were characterised by calculated and methodical brutality, including killings, torture, sexual violence – including mass rape – and the destruction of entire villages.
Seven years on, the Rohingya community continues to face immense challenges. The refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, which shelter more than one million refugees, are rife with armed gangs, with refugees exposed to killings, extortion, sexual assault, forced marriage, and human trafficking. Many Rohingya also face perilous conditions as they attempt to flee by boat in search of safety.
Within Myanmar, over 630,000 Rohingya remain stateless and subjected to a system of apartheid that denies them their basic rights. The ongoing conflict between the Myanmar military and the AA has displaced thousands as the AA has expanded its territory in Rakhine State since November 2023. The Myanmar military’s indiscriminate attacks on civilians have been compounded by the AA’s shelling, looting, and arson in Buthidaung, as well as drone and artillery attacks that resulted in the massacre of over 200 Rohingya on the banks of the Naf River in Maungdaw.
Myanmar Campaign Network supports federal democracy and human rights in Myanmar, advocating for the restoration of Rohingya rights, as well as justice and accountability for the perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. As a leading democratic nation in the region and a member of the international community committed to upholding human rights, Australia has a moral and legal obligation to act decisively against the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Myanmar.
MCN calls on the Australian Government to:
- Expand sanctions on the Myanmar junta’s extensive business interests, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and the Central Bank of Myanmar to cut the flow of foreign revenue that the military uses to buy heavy artillery, helicopter gunships, jets, and aviation fuel.
- Ensure that Australian businesses are not complicit in human rights abuses in Myanmar.
- Investigate and prosecute the crimes of the Myanmar junta before Australian national courts under the principle of Universal Jurisdiction.
- Increase humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and internally displaced persons within Myanmar.
- Establish a targeted quota for Rohingya refugees, prioritising the most vulnerable, including women, children, and those at immediate risk.
- Enhance diplomatic pressure on ASEAN to encourage a stronger stance on the situation in Myanmar, including the protection of Rohingya rights.
Media Contact:
Tasneem Roc
Myanmar Campaign Network
troc@apheda.org.au
+61 2 8203 6044