Myanmar rejected again grosslymischaracterized Rakhine Issue of Third Committee resolution, at its 52nd session of the plenary meeting of the 74th UN General Assembly on 27 December 2019, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar.
Myanmar delegation called for the vote regarding the resolution on Myanmar, draft resolution and voted against the resolution.
The Permanent Representative made a statement before the action was taken. In his statement, the Permanent Representative reiterated that the draft resolution grossly mischaracterized the complex nature of the Rakhine issue and did not attempt in good faith to find a peaceful and feasible solution to the issue in hand.
He pointed out that the draft failed to recognize the real situation on the ground and refused to appreciate the efforts of the Government and the people of Myanmar. It would sow seeds of mistrust and create further polarization of different communities in the region. It would only be detrimental to the process of repatriation as well as the fragile peace and harmony in Rakhine and would also cause more alienation between the people of Myanmar and the international community, he responded.
Additionally, the Permanent Representative stated that the total amount of financial allocation for the so-called IIMM (Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar) for two years would reach nearly USD 27 million. He further pointed out that the UN’s scarce resources should have been utilized for more meaningful purposes such as life-saving humanitarian assistance or feeding millions of hungry children around the world. It was total hypocrisy to waste millions of dollars as an instrument of unwarranted political agenda of some powerful member countries against a nascent democracy with daunting challenges, he mentioned. Furthermore, he reminded that it was critically important to refrain from any action or statement that could undermine the integrity of these ongoing domestic criminal justice processes for them to allow their course.
In closing, the Permanent Representative reiterated that the government would be relentless in the continued efforts to address distrust and fear, prejudice and hate, poverty and insecurity among communities in Rakhine and would steadfastly uphold its commitment to a lasting peace, rule of law, human rights and sustainable development for all citizens as Myanmar was moving forward to build a democratic federal union. Finally, he urged all member states to stand together with Myanmar and oppose the politicization of human rights by casting negative vote on the draft resolution.
The 193-member body voted 134-9 with 28 abstentions in favour of the resolution.
