Recent revelations from the UN Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) have shed light on the extent of land conversion in Myanmar, where authorities, along with private corporations, have repurposed land once belonging to the Rohingya community. This transformation, documented in the IIMM’s latest report, follows the military’s 2017 operations in Rakhine State that saw the forced displacement of over 700,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh.
The report highlights the destruction and subsequent repurposing of Rohingya homes, mosques, and properties into facilities for Myanmar’s Border Guard Police (BGP) and other security infrastructure. Witness accounts, along with satellite imagery, point to significant alterations in specific regions, notably in the Myo Thu Gyi village tract, where hundreds of structures were replaced by new BGP bases. By 2018, more than 411 acres of Rohingya land had been seized for these purposes.
Among the entities benefiting from this conversion is Asia World Company. The organization played a pivotal role in constructing bases and roads on the confiscated land. The Ministry of Home Affairs reportedly financed and directed these expansions, with the Border Guard Police directly occupying the properties. This development raises significant concerns about the potential for Rohingya to return home, as many of their villages no longer exist, underscoring the IIMM’s emphasis on the need for restitution and assistance to facilitate a dignified repatriation process.
Such actions add another layer to the ongoing legal scrutiny Myanmar faces. The operations in 2017 have been characterized by UN investigators as having been carried out with “genocidal intent.” Currently, Myanmar is entangled in legal proceedings at the International Court of Justice, where it faces accusations from The Gambia of violating the Genocide Convention, while the International Criminal Court examines charges related to deportation and other alleged crimes. Details on this ongoing case can be found through coverage by Al Jazeera.
The IIMM, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2018, commits to continuously gather and preserve evidence to support accountability efforts across various judicial platforms. While the public report provides a broad overview, a detailed confidential document holds specific names of companies and individuals involved, to be shared with relevant authorities for potential legal actions.
This complex interplay of land conversion and its implications extends beyond immediate reproach, touching on broader issues of justice and the need for international mechanisms that can effectively address such profound violations. The detailed findings and ongoing efforts to seek accountability are further chronicled in reports such as those found on JURIST.