GENEVA/ MYANMAR HUMAN RIGHTS

Expressing concern over the situation in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state, the UN’s Human Rights Office (OHCHR) warned that the Government's “short-sighted, counterproductive, even callous” approach to the handling of the crisis could have grave long-term repercussions for the country and the region. UNTV CH

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:31
• Production Date: 16 December 2016
• Asset Language: English
• Subject Topical: HUMAN RIGHTS
• Geographic Subject: MYANMAR
• MAMS Id: 1799102
• Parent Id: 1799102
• Alternate Title: unifeed161216b

Description

STORY: GENEVA/ MYANMAR HUMAN RIGHTS
TRT: 01:31
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATTS

DATELINE: 16 DECEMBER 2016 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

1. Exterior, Palais des Nations
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The repeated dismissal of the claims of serious human rights violations as fabrications, coupled with the failure to allow our independent monitors access to the worst affected areas in northern Rakhine, is highly insulting to the victims and an abdication of the Government’s obligations under international human rights law”.
4. Wide shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The High Commissioner unequivocally condemns the attacks on border police posts on October 9 by armed assailants, as well as the killing of a senior army officer on November 12. These are serious crimes for which of course the individual perpetrators and their masterminds must be brought to account with full respect for due process.”
6. Med shot, journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The High Commissioner urges the Government of Myanmar to choose a different path – one where political and military leaders join forces to ensure that people from the various communities that the State will work to ensure their rights and needs are protected, that it hears the grievances and will work with the affected communities to address them, that where there are claims of human rights violations, these will be independently investigated and that the perpetrators – no matter who they are – will be held accountable.”
8. Wide shot, journalists
9. Close up, hands typing
10. Med shot, journalists

Storyline

Expressing concern over the situation in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state, the UN’s Human Rights Office (OHCHR) warned that the Government's “short-sighted, counterproductive, even callous” approach to the handling of the crisis could have grave long-term repercussions for the country and the region.

Speaking today (16 Dec) to reporters in Geneva, the spokesperson of the UN’s Human Right Office Ravina Shamdasani said “the repeated dismissal of the claims of serious human rights violations as fabrications, coupled with the failure to allow our independent monitors access to the worst affected areas in northern Rakhine, is highly insulting to the victims and an abdication of the Government’s obligations under international human rights law”. Shamdasani was quoting from a High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein’s statement.

The UN’s Human Rights Office stated that it was “deeply” disappointed that request for access in the country still not had been approved – particularly given the alarming allegations of human rights violations such as killings, rapes and the burning of Rohingya homes. OHCHR said it is getting daily reports of rapes and killings of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, although the government was insultingly dismissing the claims and making the situation worse.

The spokesperson said “the High Commissioner unequivocally condemns the attacks on border police posts on October 9 by armed assailants, as well as the killing of a senior army officer on November 12. These are serious crimes for which of course the individual perpetrators and their masterminds must be brought to account with full respect for due process.”

Shamdasani also said the High Commissioner urged the Government of Myanmar to choose a different path, “one where political and military leaders join forces to ensure that people from the various communities that the State will work to ensure their rights and needs are protected.”

She added that the Government should “hear the grievances and will work with the affected communities to address them, that where there are claims of human rights violations, these will be independently investigated and that the perpetrators – no matter who they are – will be held accountable.”

About one million Rohingya live in Myanmar today. They are a Muslim ethnic group who reside mainly in the northern part of the Rakhine state on the border to Bangladesh.

According to the 1982 National Citizenship Act, the Rohingya are not considered to be one of the 135 indigenous population groups and therefore have no claim to Myanmar citizenship. Because of repression and persecution, at least one million Rohingya live as refugees in Bangladesh and other Asian countries.