Yangon: A black and while photo printed in a new book on the Rohingya crisis authored by Myanmar’s army, shows a man standing over two bodies, wielding a farming tool. “Bengalis killed local ethnics brutally,” reads the caption. The photo appears in a section of the book covering ethnic riots in Myanmar in the 1940s. The text says the image shows Buddhists murdered by Rohingya - members of a Muslim minority the book refers to as “Bengalis” to imply they are illegal immigrants. But an examination of the photo shows it was actually taken during Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war, when thousands of Bangladeshis were killed by Pakistani troops.
The 117-page “Myanmar Politics and the Tatmadaw: Part I” relates the army’s narrative of August last year, when some 700,000 Rohingya fled Rakhine to Bangladesh. In the book, the military denies abuse claims, blaming the violence on “Bengali terrorists.” Another faded black-and white image shows a crowd of men who appear to be on a long march with their backs bent over. The photo is apparently intended to depict Rohingya arriving in Myanmar during the colonial era, which ended in 1948. It is in fact a distorted version of a colour image taken in 1996 of refugees fleeing the genocide in Rwanda. The photographer, Martha Rial, won the Pulitzer Prize. Both the government the military could not be reached for comment on the authenticity of the images.
Rohingya seek justice after UN probe report
Rohingya leaders in Bangladesh challenged the United Nations to ensure Myanmar’s generals stand trial after investigators called for top military commanders to be prosecuted for genocide against the minority. A UN fact-finding mission into violations in Myanmar said the country’s army chief and five other senior brass should be investigated over a crackdown last year that drove 700,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh. Rohingya leaders welcomed calls for prosecution, but said they would judge the UN on its ability to deliver justice. “The UN has to ensure that justice sees the light,” community leader Abdul Gowffer said. “The commanders must face an ICC trial,” he added, referring to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
