Editorial
Perpetrators must be held to account
In a welcome move on Monday, the International Criminal Court's prosecutor launched a preliminary probe into Myanmar's crimes against its Rohingya minority, including killings, sexual violence and forced deportations. This is the first legal step taken against the persecution of Rohingyas led by the country's powerful army—after months of speculation and prodding from various quarters and peace-loving people from across the globe—and may in time lead to a formal investigation by the ICC and possible indictments. We wholeheartedly welcome this initiative and hope that justice will be allowed to take its course, no matter what the consequence.
The Rohingyas deserve justice for what they had gone through, especially since August last year when the latest crackdown began resulting in the deportation of over 700,000 people. Justice is also in the interests of their future safety and reversal of Myanmar's state policy which emboldened their persecutors in the first place.
That said, on a more practical level, it is not enough to only bring to justice the military-political complex that was behind the genocide. The Rohingyas have suffered, and continue to do so, partly because the society in general grew hostile to the community because of the decades of anti-Rohingya campaign. Despite having a long history as citizens of Myanmar, the Rohingyas are generally deemed as outsiders, or infiltrators.
The 2017 disaster had been in the making for a long time. The situation has been further exacerbated by some countries that wanted to advance their own geopolitical interests at the peril of the Rohingyas. The international community must address these issues and work toward creating a condition in which they can live safely and productively in their own country.
- Courtesy: The Daily Star / Sep 20, 2018
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