{"id":98527,"date":"2020-02-01T15:50:12","date_gmt":"2020-02-01T22:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=98527"},"modified":"2020-02-01T15:50:12","modified_gmt":"2020-02-01T22:50:12","slug":"japan-backs-myanmars-claim-that-no-genocide-occurred-in-rakhine-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/02\/01\/japan-backs-myanmars-claim-that-no-genocide-occurred-in-rakhine-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan Backs Myanmar\u2019s Claim That No Genocide Occurred in Rakhine State"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0NAN LWIN\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/span>27 December 2019 Courtesy The Irrawaddy<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (center) and Japanese Upper House MP Natsuo Yamaguchi (right) pose for a photo after a meeting in Yangon on Dec. 23. \/ Myanmar State Counselor\u2019s Office<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.irrawaddy.com\/news\/burma\/japan-backs-myanmars-claim-no-genocide-occurred-rakhine-state.html\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

YANGON\u2014Amid mounting international criticism of Myanmar State\nCounselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi over her denial of genocide allegations at the\nInternational Court of Justice (ICJ), the Japanese ambassador to Myanmar said\nhis government firmly believes that no genocide was committed in the country,\nand expressed hope that the court will reject The Gambia\u2019s request that\nprovisional measures be taken against Myanmar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan has become the first\ncountry to voice support for Myanmar since the Southeast Asian country\u2019s legal\nteam testified at the World Court, where The Gambia filed a case of genocide\nover the Rohingya crisis. Other countries including the Netherlands and Canada\nhave stated that in order to uphold international accountability and prevent\nimpunity, they consider it their obligation to support The Gambia before the\nICJ, as it concerns all of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think that the Myanmar\nTatmadaw [military] committed genocide or [had the] intent of genocide. I also\ndon\u2019t think that they have intention to kill all the Muslim residents in\nRakhine,\u201d said Ichiro Maruyama, the Japanese ambassador to Myanmar, on\nThursday.<\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the actions by the\nTatmataw came in response to a series of attacks by the Arakan Rohingya\nSalvation Army (ARSA) on police outposts in 2016 and 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Echoing what Daw Aung San Suu\nKyi said at the World Court, the ambassador said Japan doesn\u2019t rule out the\npossibility that human rights violations occurred in Rakhine State during\nclashes between the military and ARSA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there were human rights\nviolations, it is important [that Myanmar conduct prosecutions] itself. We will\nurge the Myanmar government and military to take action seriously,\u201d Maruyama\nadded.<\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 700,000 Rohingya\nfled Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh in late 2017 after the government\u2019s\nsecurity forces launched clearance operations in northern Rakhine State in\nresponse to the attacks by ARSA. UN investigators said the operations had genocidal\nintent\u201d. Both the Myanmar government and military have denied the accusations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November, The Gambia\nsubmitted the genocide case against Myanmar to the World Court. As a\npreliminary step, the African nation requested the court take provisional measures\nagainst Myanmar to prevent further violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During three days of initial\npublic hearings in the case, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi told the ICJ\nthat no genocide was committed in Myanmar, as defined in international law, and\ndescribed the Rohingya issue as an internal conflict\u201d.<\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her closing remarks on the\nlast day of hearings, she asked the ICJ to reject either the Rohingya genocide\ncase filed against the country or the provisional measures requested by The\nGambia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2017, Japan has acted\nas a mediator in the Rohingya repatriation process and it continues to work\nclosely with the Myanmar government on solving the problems in Rakhine State.\nLast year in October, during her trip to Japan, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi praised\nthe country for its understanding and help during a time when tensions have\nbeen high between Myanmar and the rest of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan\u2019s official support of\nMyanmar\u2019s stand in the genocide case followed a visit to Myanmar by Natsuo\nYamaguchi, a member of Japan\u2019s Upper House from the country\u2019s Komeito party,\nwhich is a member of Japan\u2019s coalition government. The top item on Yamaguchi\u2019s\nagenda was to explain the Japanese government\u2019s stand on the genocide\nallegation against Myanmar following the ICJ case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his stay in Myanmar\nfrom Dec. 21 to 25, Yamaguchi met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and military chief\nSenior General Min Aung Hlaing. He promised Japan would continue to help\nMyanmar solve the problems in Rakhine State, according to the Japanese\nambassador.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his meeting with Sen-Gen\nMin Aung Hlaing, the Japanese Upper House MP urged the military to take serious\naction against those who committed crimes in Rakhine, in accordance with the\nfinal report of the Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE).<\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The senior general promised\nthe Japanese MP that the military will take action against human rights\nviolators, saying that if the ICOE found that rights violations occurred, the\nmilitary will prosecute the offenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We fully believe that the\nMyanmar military will keep its promise. It is important to investigate and\nprosecute the people who committed the crimes,\u201d Ambassador Maruyama told the\nmedia on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Japanese\nAmbassador to Myanmar Ichiro Maruyama attends a press conference at his\nresidence on Dec. 26. \/ Myo Min Soe \/ The Irrawaddy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following her defense of Myanmar against the The Gambia\u2019s\ngenocide allegations, human rights organizations and the international media\nhave portrayed Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as an apologist for the Myanmar military.\nResponding to the criticism, the ambassador said, We don\u2019t see her that way.\nShe made a decision to go to the court because she knows that it is important\nthat the court identify what really happened [in Rakhine].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I really respect her\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

. I am also very proud of her,\u201d Maruyama said.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since there is no genocide in\nMyanmar, the court has no reason to rule that Myanmar has committed genocide\n<\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n

. But it is possible [it will] take provisional measures\nagainst Myanmar,\u201d he said.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are praying that the\ncourt does not take provisional measures. If they [do], Japan will look at ways\nto help Myanmar handle the process smoothly. This is the Japanese government\u2019s\nstand for Myanmar,\u201d said the ambassador.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICJ Presiding Judge Abdulqawi\nYusuf said the court would take note of Myanmar\u2019s final submission and render\nan order regarding the provisional measures as soon as possible\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late November, Myanmar\u2019s\nmilitary announced it had opened court martial proceedings against a group of\nsoldiers accused of committing atrocities during the 2017 military-led\ncrackdown on Rohingya Muslims. The announcement said the military is cooperating\nwith the ICOE and if the final report found that the soldiers committed rights\nviolations, they would be investigated and prosecuted. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi\ntold the World Court that there would be more courts martial when the report is\nreleased. The ICOE is set to submit the final report on its special\ninvestigation in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ICOE is an independent\nspecial-investigation mechanism established by the President of Myanmar to\nhandle allegations of human rights violations and other issues in Rakhine State\nin the period following the ARSA attacks. Chaired by a former deputy foreign\nminister from the Philippines, its three other members include a former under\nsecretary-general of the United Nations from Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ambassador said Japan\ncould not predict how the international community will respond, or whether it\nwill question the credibility of the ICOE. However, the most important thing\nwould be whether the Myanmar government and military take the final report of\nthe ICOE seriously, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tatmadaw will play a\nvital role in it. We will [hold] further discussions with the Tatmadaw to take\nagainst action the people who committed the crimes. We will urge them to do\nit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By doing this, the final report\nof the ICOE will earn trust [from the international community],\u201d he added.<\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there is no trust from\nthe international [community] and good relations with them, we cannot expect\npolitical stability and economic development in Myanmar. That is the reason\nthat Japan \u2026 wants to help the Myanmar government have and rebuild good\nrelations with the international community,\u201d Maruyama stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite Rakhine\u2019s tarnished\nreputation due to the Rohingya crisis, Japan has backed the Myanmar\ngovernment\u2019s plan to invite both local and foreign investors to Rakhine State\nin February, as both sides believe improving economic development could solve\nthe state\u2019s issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Western countries are\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

more pressure on Myanmar due to the Rohingya crisis. But our approach\nis different from them. Our goal is for Myanmar to achieve a democratic\ntransition and economic development,\u201d the ambassador said.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think that the West would\nalso like to see it achieve that goal. I don\u2019t think our goals are [so]\ndifferent,\u201d Maruyama said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courtesy: <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0NAN LWIN\u00a027 December 2019 Courtesy The Irrawaddy Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (center) and Japanese Upper House MP Natsuo Yamaguchi (right) pose for a photo after a meeting in Yangon on Dec. 23. \/ Myanmar State Counselor\u2019s Office YANGON\u2014Amid mounting international criticism of Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-forum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98527\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}